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Doubts cloud Wimbledon as venue for Olympic bid
London, Oct 08: Doubts have been cast over Wimbledon as a potential venue for London`s 2012 Olympic Games bid.
London, Oct 08: Doubts have been cast over Wimbledon as a potential venue for London's 2012 Olympic Games bid.
Barbara Cassani, who is chairing the London bid, admits the all-England tennis club may not form part of the plans because grass would not be considered appropriate for disabled athletes, who will be competing in the Paralympics which follow the Olympics themselves.
A compromise would be to use Wimbledon for the Olympics but build a tennis centre with hard courts to stage the Paralympic Games.
Cassani is desperate to include Wimbledon after IOC president Jacques Rogge attended the men's final in July and expressed his desire for it to form part of London's bid.
Wimbledon's role was already under threat because of worries it was too far from the proposed Olympic village in east London and would take competitors too long to travel there.
Cassani has proposed an Olympic village sub-centre, a plan certain to be rejected by the International Olympic Committee.
Transport is expected to be a difficult area for London's bid, which will come under the spotlight during a four-day IOC seminar for the nine bidding cities which opened in Lausanne yesterday.
Bureau Report
Barbara Cassani, who is chairing the London bid, admits the all-England tennis club may not form part of the plans because grass would not be considered appropriate for disabled athletes, who will be competing in the Paralympics which follow the Olympics themselves.
A compromise would be to use Wimbledon for the Olympics but build a tennis centre with hard courts to stage the Paralympic Games.
Cassani is desperate to include Wimbledon after IOC president Jacques Rogge attended the men's final in July and expressed his desire for it to form part of London's bid.
Wimbledon's role was already under threat because of worries it was too far from the proposed Olympic village in east London and would take competitors too long to travel there.
Cassani has proposed an Olympic village sub-centre, a plan certain to be rejected by the International Olympic Committee.
Transport is expected to be a difficult area for London's bid, which will come under the spotlight during a four-day IOC seminar for the nine bidding cities which opened in Lausanne yesterday.
Bureau Report