Bisley to be rejected for 2012 Olympic shooting events

They consider the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich to be cheaper in the long run, because creating a satellite venue 50 miles from London will add to the bill for athletes’ accommodation and transport.

The final decision rests with the Olympic board, which consists of Sebastian Coe, head of 2012 organising committee Locog; Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell; Mayor Boris Johnson; and Colin Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association.

It will meet a week before the IOC’s deadline of the end of this month for confirming the choice of 2012 venues.

An Olympic source said: “The decision will come down to cost and it would be more expensive to move it to Bisley than keep it at Woolwich. There has been a rigorous process of looking at the alternatives.”

Shooting groups have long argued holding the shooting events at Woolwich will not leave a legacy in the form of an international standard shooting range.

Last summer Woolwich was included in a government-commissioned cost analysis of temporary venues and the estimated costs there almost doubled to £42 million because of security and difficulties in accommodating the space needed, which is large for an Olympic event.

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