Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics agree to London 2012 Wembley move

BADMINTON and rhythmic gymnastics will be staged at Wembley Arena during London 2012 after the two sports' world governing bodies agreed to move to the north London venue.

OLYMPIC VENUE: Wembley Arena will host the badminton and rhythmic gymnastic competitions at the London 2012 Olympics

Confirmation of the move, which could save up to £20m, is a timely boost for London 2012 organisers, after the coalition government trimmed the Olympic Delivery Authority's budget by £27m earlier this week.

In what has remained one of the few major blots on London 2012 organisers' copybook, the venues for the two sports had yet to be fully confirmed, despite the Games being just over two years away.

But the agreement of the two world governing bodies means the £40m temporary stadium - North Greenwich Arena 2 - which was due to house the two sports is no longer required in a move that is likely to save up to £20m.

London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe: "We are delighted to have reached this agreement with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Federation Internationale Gymnastique (FIG) and I would like to thank them for their full co-operation and support.

"We will now work through all the detailed arrangements with them and Wembley Arena to put on first class events.

"This is a big boost to north London which will be a hub for the London 2012 Olympics with the football finals happening at Wembley Stadium."

It's a move which has been on the cards since the International Olympic Committee last visited London in November, with IOC co-ordination commission chairman Denis Oswald admitting the relocation had been agreed in principle.

But rubber-stamping the agreement has proved troublesome and the BWF were quick to insist that a resolution was far from reached, suggesting Oswald had jumped the gun somewhat.