A report published by the London Assembly has criticised 'flawed' proposals to turn the Olympic Stadium into a 25,000-seat athletics arena following the 2012 Games.

The economic, development, culture, sport and tourism committee concluded that the focus on athletics had delayed efforts to secure a lasting legacy for the venue. Committee members also suggested that only a football or a rugby club could ensure the attendances required to enable the stadium to pay for itself over the longer term.

The report found that a 2007 decision to reduce the capacity of the stadium to 25,000 seats in order to accommodate athletes had put "elite athletes ahead of local regeneration". Although talks with football clubs were halted after that decision, the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is now mulling a bid from West Ham United as part of a process to secure a tenant.

Committee chair Len Duvall said: "The Olympic Board made the wrong decision when opting for an athletics legacy and that decision could have serious consequences for the OPLC and for whoever ultimately takes over the stadium. "Put simply, an elite 25,000-seat athletics stadium is not, and was never going to be, in the long term interests of the East End or of the taxpayer."

Image: ODA/David Poultney