Badminton England Rejects Possible Venue Switch 2012 Olympics
The officials of Badminton England have unanimously agreed to reject a proposal to transfer the staging of badminton events to Wembley Arena at the 2012 Olympics, which London is hoping. Officials said that the move could simply diminish the popularity of the sport overall due to several factors.
Badminton England is optimistic of its chances of clinching two medals at the upcoming Games. However, the plan to transfer the events at a stadium located outside of London could simply diminish the performances of the athletes.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has reportedly proposed the transfer of rhythmic gymnastics and badminton from a venue that is to be built near the Olympic Park to Wembley. This is in order for the city to save on construction costs worth 40 million pounds (around $65 million).
Johnson was reportedly surprised that the budget for the Olympics increased by more than 200 percent. According to latest estimate, about 9.4 billion pounds is needed for the Games which is way over the initial estimate of 2.4 billion.
Badminton England Chief Executive Adrian Christy said that they want to have the badminton games to take place near the Olympic Park. He added that staging the Games at the Wembley Arena should be out of the question because it is “not the right arena” at all.
He added that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is supporting their stand on the issue.
