Tweet
The London 2012 Olympics marathon has been re-routed to finish outside Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth's official residence, rather than the main Olympic stadium, organisers said on Monday.
The move is likely to disappoint Tower Hamlets Council which launched a petition to try and keep some of the original 42.195 kms route around its streets in east London, near the Olympic Park.
The London Organising Committee (LOCOG), responsible for staging the Games, said it had switched the race to central London to prevent disruption to the capital's streets and ensure more spectators could watch.
It said it would also have less impact on other sports taking place in the stadium and across London.
LOCOG chairman Seb Coe said the decison was one of the hardest decisions the organisation had had to make. However, he said was backed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee.
"Our prime objective as the organising committee has to be to deliver venues and events that work for the athletes, spectators, and for the host city -- venues that provide the best possible way of keeping the city moving, minimising disruption for everyone and, critically, getting the athletes and spectators to the venues on time," he said in a statement.
Unlike the annual London Marathon, the Olympic and Paralympic marathons will be raced over a loop circuit, taking in many of the city's main tourist sites including St Paul's Cathedral, Admiralty Arch and Parliament.
They will also start on The Mall, outside Buckingham Palace, rather than Tower Bridge as originally scheduled. The dates of the race have yet to be determined.
Tower Hamlets had fought hard to keep the original route, and had attracted more than 600 signatures to its petition, arguing it could be left with no events.
"There is no better way to celebrate and showcase London's ethnic diversity than to have the world's best athletes run past the mosques, churches, temples and cultural centres that make up the fabric of East End life," it said in a letter to LOCOG this week, in which it threatened possible legal action.
"We believe this is a great backdrop to a great event. Indeed, the Olympic authorities also once thought this was the case. We do not believe it is credible for LOCOG to now send a message that it is ashamed of the very communities who helped London win the Games."
The present marathon distance was determined at the 1908 London Games when Queen Alexandra requested that the race, which finished at the stadium at White City, begin beneath the windows of the royal nursery in Windsor Castle gardens.
Including a final circuit of the track at the stadium, the total distance was 26 miles 385 yards, which was formally recognised by the IAAF 16 years later.
(Editing by John Mehaffey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
