July 22 - Middle East companies, who already have brought Harrods and the ExCel exhibition centre, are being encouraged to invest in the Olympic Park to help ensure it has a sustainable legacy after London 2012.



Andrew Altman, the chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, has been courting potential investors at the City and Council Countries (GCC) Conference in London.

He said: "For those sovereign wealth funds (SWF), we are very interested in looking to share this opportunity.

"If you look two or three years ahead, it’s really well positioned for investors to place capital."

Gulf investors have already shown their confidence in London.

Qatar Holding recently bought Harrods for £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) while the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company purchased ExCel, one of the main venues for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, in 2008 for £165 million ($256 million).

"The UK continues to be a very attractive investment opportunity for GCC sovereign wealth funds," said Bashir Siman, a special representative to the United Arab Emirates of financial services at UK Trade and Investment.

"Increasing the share of UK inward investment is possible, provided SWFs find opportunities that meet their specific requirements.

"After the recession SWFs, arguably, are looking for regular income-generating yields over a number of years rather than simply speculative gains.

"Infrastructure projects the UK Government is keen to develop provide opportunities for a convergence of interests between the country and the GCC in investment."