The letter, signed by 16 Olympians and Paralympians, claims it would be "unacceptable for the stadium to lose the track and effectively become an Olympic Stadium with NO Olympic connection or legacy".

The letter is designed to send a clear message to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) not to back Tottenham Hotspur's bid to take over the £537 million Stadium following London 2012.

Their proposal involves ripping up the track and funding an athletics legacy in another part of London away from the Olympic Park.

The only other bidder for the Stadium, Tottenham's Premier League rivals West Ham United, would keep the track.

The letter reads: "We are all proud Olympians and Paralympians who have competed under the Union flag and without exception we were all passionate supporters of the bid to bring the world's greatest sporting event to London.

"One of the most compelling aspects of our bid back in 2005 was the promise of an athletics legacy in the form of a world class stadium."



The letter continued: "This promise made the idea of legacy real.

"It showed that the Games would continue to touch the wider community long after the Olympics and Paralympic spectacular had left town.

"What made the legacy more persuasive was the fact that this wasn't just about the top end of the sport and giving our top athletes a 'home' stadium to be proud of.

"This was about the community, about making a facility work as hard as possible and be as accessible as possible to a wide range of people from a wide range of sports.

"Here was a stadium that would see young athletes competing for an English Schools title run on the same track as Usain Bolt, where Premiership footballers could play whilst club athletes train.

"Here was somewhere that could play host to twenty20 cricket one week and a pop concert the next.

"As Olympians we are all ardent sports fans and that is why we believe the Olympic legacy HAS to be the Olympic Stadium complete with track.

"It would be unacceptable for the stadium to lose the track and effectively become an Olympic Stadium with NO Olympic connection or legacy.

"We urge the decision makers in this process to ensure the track remains post 2012 and bring to life a sporting promise made to a whole community for generations to come."

The letter is also signed by other two Olympic champions, Lynn Davies and Allan Wells, and Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, an 11-time Paralympic gold medallist. 

The letter is also signed by Steve Backley, Jamie Baulch, Roger Black, Steve Cram, Brendan Foster, Katharine Merry, David Moorcroft, Alan Pascoe, Wendy Sly and Ian Stewart.


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