That means that West Ham United – or any other tenant at the Stadium, whether it is a football club or not – will have to comply with any major athletics event that takes place, with the running track guaranteed to remain for the duration of the 99-year lease period.

The news comes as a major boost for UK Athletics given the understandable nature of the concerns regarding the future of the Olympic Stadium beyond 2012, and also means that the use of the Stadium is guaranteed at any potential World Championships in 2017.

"We have been able to communicate to all members of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) Council that athletics will be guaranteed in the stadium for 99 years," said Warner.

"London will have a global standard athletics facility in its heart for many generations to come.

"We also have a right to host a major competition every few years provided we give the landlord two years' notice, and any football club will have to arrange to play away from home during those competitions.

"It allows us to completely close the circle, bring the World Championships into the Stadium – which will be a better stadium than is the case for 2012 – and for generations to come we will be in a position to bid for great events and for great athletes to come to London."

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