David Bedford quits 2012 Olympics role over marathon route dispute
Campaigners who were hoping to get the 2012 Olympics Marathon returned to east London have been disappointed by news of former distance world record holder David Bedford quitting as head of the race organisers.
Mr Bedford, who is also race director of the annual London Marathon, resigned from the Olympic role because of his ‘frustration’ with organisers, it has emerged this week.
It is a further blow to Telco, The East London Community Organisation, which launched a campaign in January to get the race back after Olympics chief Lord Coe switched it to the West End.
“This is the nail in the coffin,” one Telco delegate told the East London Advertiser today.
“We’ve lost the fight to get the Olympics marathon back where it belongs.
“Now we have to move forward to secure jobs and social housing after 2012.”
Bedford decided not to work on the Olympic events any further due to his “frustration” with the Olympics London Organising Committee’s “approach to event management.”
Most Read
- 1 Covid-19: How the situation in Tower Hamlets compares to this time last year
- 2 Collision causes traffic delays on A13 near Canning Town
- 3 Man masturbates on Central line train in front of two women
- 4 Chance of snow in London this weekend
- 5 Met Police arrest more than 900 in London-wide knife crime op
- 6 Commercial Road flat damaged in Whitechapel blaze
- 7 Which Underground lines are affected today
- 8 Two men sustained head injuries in Tower Hamlets commercial robberies
- 9 O's manager Jackett will evaluate team ahead of Northampton Town trip
- 10 Mandatory jabs could deal 'big hit' to east London NHS staffing, says health boss
Mr Bedford criticised its handling of a dispute with Tower Hamlets, one of the five ‘host’ boroughs, over the marathon route.
Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman at first went for a judicial review after the 2012 Marathon was re-routed away from east London and the stadium itself, with the start and finish outside Buckingham Palace instead.
But the mayor dropped his legal challenge after a deal with Lord Coe in February to give Tower Hamlets’ unemployed a 48-hour head start to apply for any jobs going at the Olympics site.
