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 LONDON 2012 NEWS
Picture Wembley Arena - potential venue choice.

FRIDAY D-DAY FOR VENUE

By Martyn Ziegler, Chief Reporter, Press Association Sport

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London 2012 organisers will tell the International Olympic Committee this week that they have still to resolve the venue for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.

The IOC co-ordination commission arrive in London this evening ahead of a two-day inspection but the issue of the final venue remains undecided.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will not make a decision before Friday, when the matter will be raised before the organisation's ruling council meeting in Bali.

IOC co-ordination commission chairman Denis Oswald last month expressed his concern at the delay and called on Games organisers to finalise their venues "as a matter of urgency".

London 2012 insist they are working towards a deadline of the IOC's next executive board meeting on December 9.

There is no guarantee however that badminton or gymnastics will agree to the organisers' proposal to base them in Wembley Arena due to the travel time from the Olympic Village in the east of London.

The BWF's chief operating officer Thomas Lund told Press Association Sport: "We have still not made a decision. We are having a council session this week with a meeting on Friday at which a final decision - if there is one - will be taken.

"Travel times from the Village are definitely one of the concerns and one of the key issues to be discussed."

London 2012 say they remain in talks with both sports.

A London 2012 spokeswoman said: "We agreed with IOC we would update them at the co-ordination commission and we would want to have this finalised to be presented to the executive board in the second week of December.

"We are in discussion with both sports and hope to have the situation finalised shortly."

Meanwhile, the Government today published their quarterly report on the Games, with Olympics minister Tessa Jowell saying progress remains good.

Jowell said: "This reports shows we are still on time and still on budget.

"Every day the Olympic Park changes a little bit more, confirming the huge progress that the Olympic Delivery Authority and its contractors are making in building the venues and infrastructure which will be so familiar in less than three years time.

"At each and every stage the building programme is good news for London, and good for Britain - helping the UK come through the recession now, showcasing our construction and design skills and leaving behind a long-term legacy of new facilities and a new urban park in a transformed east London."

The report shows that it is anticipated the venues will be completed with £587million of the original £2billion contingency fund unspent. That would see the Games come in more than half a billion pounds under the overall £9.325billion budget set in March 2007.

Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt said: "Cost pressures across the programme continue to be offset in the main by savings and the majority of contingency remains unreleased.

"There is no cause for complacency. Next year is set to be our toughest yet as activity on site reaches a peak and it is essential we maintain our momentum."

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