London looks to legacy with 200 days to go

LONDON – The London Olympics countdown entered its final 200 days yesterday with government and organisers talking up the legacy Britain can look forward to long after the last medal has been won and the show is over.

On the day three more Games venues had their future ownership announced, Prime Minister David Cameron held his first cabinet meeting of the New Year at the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, instead of at Downing Street.’I want the message to go out loud and clear, from tourism to business, sport to investment, we are determined to maximise the benefits of 2012 for the whole country,’ Cameron said in a statement. ‘Today, as we mark 200 days to go, and six out of the eight Olympic venues having already secured their future, we are well on track to delivering a lasting legacy for the whole of Britain.’ Sporting legacy and the economic regeneration of a run-down area of east London, without the facilities becoming a drain on public finances after the Games, were central to London’s successful bid in 2005 but critics have questioned how much money the government can recoup. Construction giant Balfour Beatty PLC will take over the running of the Olympic Park, which includes the 115 metre high AccelorMittal Orbit feature, in a 10-year 50 million pound ($77.04 million) deal.The wave-shaped Aquatics Centre and multi-use Handball Arena, where the cabinet met, will be operated by locally based Greenwich Leisure Limited.-Nampa-Reuters