The row over the future use of London's Olympic Stadium has intensified after it was suggested that it does not need to provide an athletics legacy post-2012.

Lamine Diack, president of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), criticised Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, for telling the BBC last month that the Games organisers should focus on ensuring venues are put to effective use. It has long been touted that the stadium could be used by a Premiership football team after the 2012 Olympics, and Rogge said that the IOC would favour any plans that offered the best legacy solution for London.

Diack, however, hit back by saying: "As an IOC member myself, I voted for the host city for the 2012 Games, and one of the most compelling arguments in favour of London was the fact that the city desperately needed a world class venue for athletics. "A promise was made, and I believe it is totally reasonable to expect that the most important sport of the summer Olympics, which is athletics, gets to live on after the three-week period of the Games is over.

"For the IAAF, destroying the track would be totally unacceptable." UK Athletics has supported the IAAF's position over the 2012 legacy issue. Chair Ed Warner said: "We welcome the comments made by Lamine Diack. UK Athletics remains totally committed to helping ensure that there is an athletics legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

"That has been the pledge right from the start of the bidding process and we are in close communication with London 2012 to ensure that holds true, up to and beyond the London Games."