27 Nov 2009

No new Olympic venues for two sports in London

12:30 pm on 27 November 2009

The IOC has agreed to scrap plans for a new temporary venue near the London Olympic Park, meaning badminton and rhythmic gymnastics will be held in an existing venue because of the "exceptional circumstances" of the recession.

London 2012 organisers proposed switching venues to keep costs down and have both events at Wembley Arena, despite initial protest from the sports' bodies.

The decision follows months of uncertainty, but the IOC denied the deal would set a precedent for future bid cities to change their plans.

Despite a budget which has spiralled from an initial estimate of 2.4 billion pounds to over nine billion pounds, a senior IOC official, Dennis Oswald, says London is well on track to host an excellent Games.