London Latest -- Media Center Doubts; Bubka, Robertson Spar Over Stadium Legacy

Funding Shortfall Jeopardizes London Media Center

Government budget troubles cast doubt upon the non- accredited media center planned for the center of London.

The London Assembly learned Wednesday that cuts to funding from the London Development Agency make the center, a staple of past Olympics, anything but a certainty.

The center would be in operation 24-hour-a-day to serve journalists who wish to cover the Games but lack accreditation from the IOC. It’s a service London Mayor Boris Johnson doesn’t want to lose.

"The Mayor has taken the view that the unaccredited media centre is an important element of the Olympic project," his chief of staff Simon Milton told the Assembly’s budget committee.

"The government agrees and we are now trying to make sure the government pays for it. If there is no money coming from the government it won’t happen."

The Greater London Authority is due $28 million from the LDA over the next two years, $4 million of which is for the Media Center. Both amounts are now in question, though.

"The uncertainty over the future funding of the London Media Center is but the tip of the iceberg for the GLA’s budget," budget chair John Biggs said in a statement.

"The Mayor now has to deal with the hard edge of cuts to London’s budget that could significantly impact on his ability to deliver his priorities for the capital."

The total cost of the Media Center is expected to reach $9 million under current plans.

Stadium Legacy Sparks War of Words

Sergey Bubka says his insistence upon an athletics legacy for London’s Olympic Stadium is about fulfilling past pledges, not advancing future ambitions.

"It is vital that London keeps the promise it made in Singapore in 2005 to retain a running track to give future generations the opportunity to compete in a stadium where history will be made in less than two years’ time," the IOC member from Ukraine said Tuesday in a statement.

Bubka’s comments came just a day after British Olympics minister Hugh Robertson labeled his stance as politically motivated.

Bubka is a senior VP of the IAAF and is among the favorites to succeed 77-year-old president Lamine Diack.

"I am extremely disappointed to read that my concerns about the London 2012 stadium are being linked to political aspirations," the statement read.

"I spend much of my life travelling the world promoting athletics and seeing the impact it can have on communities, particularly young people. That was the vision that captured the imagination of the IOC in 2005, because it resonated so much with the importance of legacy."

That legacy until recently involved the potentialfor the 2015 IAAF World Championships. Uncertainty over the stadium’s future forced London to withdraw its bid earlier this month.

Beijing will stage the 2015 edition, and London is now touting 2017, a bid that itself faces uncertainty as the stadium’s post-Games tenant remains an unknown.

The Olympic Park Legacy announced two weeks ago a shortlist of bidders for the takeover. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspurs football clubs are the only remaining candidates. The former pledges to honor the athletics legacy to which Bubka refers, while the latter plans to rip up the track after the Games.

The OPLC hopes to have a preferred partner in place by the end of March.

Gatwick Enlists TSE to Tap Games Traffic

Gatwick wants to be London 2012’s airport of choice.

Sports consultancy TSE announced Wednesday it will help the U.K.’s second-largest airport getin on the action at Games-time.

"This project combines our expertise in helping NOCs prepare for the Games and helping regional partners such as LGA to optimize their own involvement when such a major event is being hosted," TSE’s U.K. director Jasper Perry said in a statement.

"London 2012 is a huge and unique opportunity for Gatwick Airport and we are looking forward to assisting them."

Gatwick welcomed Team Great Britain on its return from the Athens Summer Games six years ago and hopes to welcome other NOCs and Olympic Teams to London in less than two years’ time.

London 2012 to Businesses: Plan for Games Now

London organizers say the time is now for businesses to begin preparing for the 2012 Games.

Representatives from more than 400 British companies gathered Wednesday for presentations from LOCOG, the Olympic Delivery Authority, Transport for London and Department for Transport.

"Along with the benefits, there will also be some challenges for the capital as we welcome the world to London," ODA CEO David Higgins said in a statement.

"It will be business as unusual during the Games and we are reaching out early to help companies plan their Games and ensure they keep running in 2012."

The conference kicked off an information campaign designed to ensure businesses as well as commuters travel wisely during the Games.

"As with every other Olympic and Paralympic city, we need to work closely with businesses," said London transport commissioner Peter Hendy. "They need to act to ensure their staff, customers and suppliers can get around, they can keep running and we can keep London moving."

Written by Matthew Grayson.