East End may win Olympic consolation prize of relay

The chief inspector overseeing the London Games today tried to defuse the mounting row over the decision to drop the East End from the Olympic marathon course.

After rubber-stamping the new looped route between The Mall and Tower Hill this week, the International Olympic Committee said they understood the disappointment the decision had caused.

But Denis Oswald, chairman of the inspection team, said it would have been too risky to run the 26-mile race through east London.

Tower Hamlets council has launched a legal challenge to restore the route from Tower Bridge to Stratford's Olympic Stadium, as pledged during the bid.

Mr Oswald said: "We understand the disappointment but discussions are taking place to compensate them with the torch relay or other events for the borough. We still have competitions running the day we have the marathon. The original route could have made athletes, judges or media late. That's why we moved it west, where we had fewer events."

Inspectors were "reassured" after seeing construction progress during a tour of the Olympic Park yesterday. Smooth running of the £8 billion building project means London is on track to start test events next year.

"We don't have major concerns and we are impressed by progress," said Mr Oswald, who backed a cost-cutting plan to scrap a £7 million fabric wrap around the stadium. "We understand the country is going through a difficult financial situation. The wrap would have been nice but it does not change the experience of the athletes."