London: Cricket will make way for archery at the historic Lord’s ground in two years’ time after London 2012 organisers got the go-ahead for their plans on Monday.
Lord’s, the spiritual home of world cricket, will be temporarily transformed into an Olympic archery venue with 5,000 seats installed on the lush green outfield.
“I’m delighted that we have obtained permission to stage the Olympic archery at Lord’s in 2012,” London organising committee chairman Sebastian Coe said after Westminster City council approved the 2012 makeover for the north London ground.
“Lord’s will be a spectacular venue for hosting the Games in 2010 and the Olympic archery will be an exciting competition for both spectators and athletes.”
The archery is provisionally scheduled to run from July 27 to Aug. 3, in the middle of the English cricket season, but Lord’s executives believe disruption to the calendar will be minimal.
Keith Bradshaw, chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) who are based at Lord’s, said this year that he hoped two cricket tests would be staged on the ground in 2012.
South Africa are due to tour and currently there is one test match and three one-day internationals planned for Lord’s.
Archers will fire their arrows from in front of the Lord’s pavilion towards the space-age media centre that is one of London’s most recognisable structures.
Lords’s is one of several iconic venues that will stage 2012 events. The All England Club will host tennis, Greenwich Park the equestrian events and beach volleyball will take place on Horse Guard’s Parade.
Bureau Report
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Government has not
asked for an NIA probe into the attack on a college lecturer,
whose right hand was chopped off allegedly by activists of
radical outift PFI, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said on Monday
admitting his earlier remark to the contrary was a "mistake".
"What I said earlier was a result of misunderstanding of
an intimation report sent by the state which said the case of
the college lecturer also involved some charges coming under
the NIA Act. This was meant as an information and not as
request for NIA to take up the case," he told reporters here.
Pillai had earlier stated in Kollam that the state
government had asked the Centre to order a probe by the
National Investigation Agency into the lecturer attack case.
He had said the Centre would examine the state
government's letter and take a decision on NIA probe.
Prof T J Joseph was attacked on July 4 for allegedly
preparing a question paper with derogatory reference to
Prophet Mohammad.
Clarifying his remarks here after reviewing the security
situation with top police officials, Pillai said the Kerala
Government did not ask for an NIA probe and the statement made
by him at Kollam was result of a "mistake".
Pillai said he was making "this correction" after checking
up the details with the Centre.
He said during his discussions with state DGP and other
senior officials, he was told that the state police was
continuing with the investigation into the case and it had
progressed well.
Joseph has been sacked by the Christian-run Newman College
on the ground that he had hurt religious sentiments. His
family had denied the charge and said he would challenge the
dismissal in court.
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 06, 2010, 22:26