Updated -- Olympic Stadium Wrap Resurrected; Legacy Debate Intensifies

(ATR) The London Olympic Stadium is set to get a fabric wrap after all.

On Tuesday, Olympic organizers invited expressions of interest from the private sector to supply the nearly three thousand feet-long wrap, offering sector exclusive marketing rights as part of the procurement process.

The fabric curtain idea was conceived to enclose the seating bowl and provide a space to display artwork and video images to brighten up an otherwise dull-looking stadium.

LOCOG’s commercial sponsorship program is nearing conclusion. Organizers said "this is one of the last high-profile opportunities for a corporate sponsor to gain an association with the London 2012 Games".

No sponsorship is allowed on the wrap during Games-time under IOC rules.

LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton said: "We have had significant interest in supplying the stadium ‘wrap’ from the private sector, so now is the time to start a formal tender process.

"There are some exciting ideas around, and we are running a process that is fair to those organizations that have expressed an interest."

The plan to wrap the huge venue was originally shelved last October under the British government's wide-ranging budget cuts stemming from its Comprehensive Spending Review.

The move prompted widespread criticism, not least from the stadium's chief architect Rod Sheard, who envisaged the fabric wrap as a key element of the venue design.

Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt had always been keen on retaining the wrap concept, telling Around the Rings at the two-year-to-go mark on July 27 that he didn't want to engineer anything out of the 2012 project. His wishes should soon be granted.

Companies have until Feb. 18 to register their interest in supplying the wrap for the stadium.

Meanwhile, the bitter battle to take over the Olympic Stadium after the Games intensified today following comments made by Mike Lee, the former director of communications for London 2012's successful bid.

Lee is working with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in its bid to become thelegacytenant at the stadium in East London.

Spurs' joint bid with AEG, the global entertainment giant, calls for demolition of part of the venue with a rebuilt bespoke football stadium to accommodate 60,000 fans. They would redevelop Crystal Palace stadium to create the athletics legacy that the London 2012 Olympic bid team promised to the IOC in 2005.

West Ham's bid would see the running track retained as part of the venue's post-Games conversion to a 60,000-capacity multipurpose facility with football at its core.

Lee said in an interview with London’s The Guardian, that the body choosing the legacy tenant could live to regret a decision in favor of West Ham, insisting that footballcould not successfully co-exist with athletics.

"I'm not saying it's a simple decision. But if you duck difficult decisions when it comes to the legacy of these great sporting events you're in danger of creating a white elephant," he said.

"In Olympic history those cities that have ducked difficult decisions have ended up regretting it."

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady hit back, saying UK's sporting credibility will be in tatters if London 2012 athletics legacy promise is not kept. The club's proposals have won support from London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, the International Association of Athletics Federations boss Lamine Diack, UK Athletics and a host of athletes in recent weeks.

"On 6 July 2005, a promise was made in the Queen's name. We believe in that promise and we believe in legacy," she said in a statement Tuesday.

"It's important for the UK's credibility as a sporting nation - especially in the wake of the 2018 FIFA World Cup disappointment - to keep that promise. Pulling down the stadium would waste half-a-billion pounds in taxpayers' money."

The Olympic Park Legacy Company could announce its preferred bidder this week. But following requests for extra details from both Premier League football clubs on their legacy proposals for the east London venue, a decision may not come until next week.

Cycling Road Race Route Revealed

London's road race will end with a sprint down The Mall toward Buckingham Palace.

Bike Radar reported Tuesday enough course details to give Olympic cyclists a rough idea of the route they can expect come 2012.

The event will also begin at The Mall before winding southwest of the capital to Surrey Hills and then looping back over the River Thames at Putney Bridge.

The men will cover a total of 265km and the women more than 140km.

Written by Mark Bisson