CRYSTAL PALACE athletics stadium could see top-level events held there by the end of the decade.
The dilapidated South London arena is several years off being ready to emulate the heady days when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt ran there in 2009.
The stadium shut its doors in 2020, with its stands since having been covered in fox excrement.
Initial repairs to the 400 metres running track have taken place in recent weeks.
And temporary floodlights have been installed to allow club training to happen over the winter.
The Mayor of London Office has committed funding to the long-term project and plans will include an outdoor 200 metres track.
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Site architect Ben Woods said: “The push here is to look at this as a London home for athletics.
“For completion of phase two, which is the stadium, we are talking in five years’ time. That’s the plan.
“That’s not to say we cannot have events in the stadium before that.
“We have a wonderful stage.
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“We are looking at what we need to do with those structural checks, to bring it up to modern standards.
“Maybe we could run school events. Then regional championships up to national championships.
“We want this stadium to be the athletics home for London 365-days-a-year.
“This won’t live or die off one-off events.”
Explore the dilapidated Crystal Palace athletics stadium…
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
