London officials focused on the redevelopment legacy of the Olympic Park in east London in their opening meetings with the IOC Co-Ordination Commission.

 

After the Games, 9,000 houses will be built in or around the park as part of a 20-year programme to bring 40,000 new homes to the East End.

 

"London will be the most successful Olympic Games since Barcelona in 1992 in terms of its regeneration legacy," Livingstone said.

 

"As the next three Olympic Games follow London, we will still be getting the legacy benefits in terms of housing and employment."

 

The Olympic Park will provide five major sports venues - the main stadium, which will be reduced in seating capacity from 90,000 to 25,000 after the Games; an aquatics centre, velodrome and an indoor multi-sport center.

 

The site will be the one of the largest urban parks in Europe in 150 years.

 

It is the first visit by the IOC's full 16-member commission since April 2006, and the second overall since London was awarded the Games in 2005.

 

"Everything is being done on time,"  Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said.

 

"We are actually, believe it or not, doing pretty well and we have got a good story to tell the IOC inspectors this week."

 

Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 chairman, stressed the IOC Commission was not looking at any single issue.

 

"This is a complex, challenging project,"Coe said.

 

"There are 17 themes and the conversation will more often vary between any one of those themes.

 

"There's no one focus."