Pledge to retain Olympic stadium track remains

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LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United must make provision for an athletics track if either is to succeed in their bid to take over the main stadium after the 2012 London Olympics, organisers said.

A softening in that stance was suggested when Tottenham announced last week that they had teamed up with AEG, the U.S. operator of London's O2 Arena, to mount a joint bid to lease the stadium after the Games.

Tottenham said they would not keep a track, with AEG saying it would not make any economic sense.

"One of our criteria was they had to tell how us how they would meet the Olympic promise for athletics in legacy. That has not changed."

Olympics minister Hugh Robertson added: "It (athletics) was an absolutely core part of our bid... and that commitment will be honoured."

The venue's future is proving a headache for the OPLC which is under pressure to fulfil a pledge made to the International Olympic Committee during the bid process to keep the track while finding a credible tenant.

"It would be no problem for us to have temporary facilities on the track during the football season, which could then be removed for the athletics season," West Ham co-owner David Gold was quoted as saying in Thursday's Evening Standard.

"So we would be honouring our commitment to the 2012 legacy by keeping the athletics facilities. It will be the most stunning stadium in the country." The east London club plan to reduce the capacity of the stadium, capable of hosting football and athletics as well as concerts, from a capacity of 80,000 to 60,000 seats.