London 2012 Venue

 

Controversy over shooting venue but Woolwich provides plenty of historical links

 

WHERE to stage the shooting at the 2012 Olympic Games has been one of the most contentious issues of the bid.

 

Bisley Shooting Centre, which successfully hosted the sport during the 2002 Commonwealth Games, formed part of the initial bid document but was subsequently dropped.

 

That decision, taken by London officials in August 2004, followed advice received from the International Olympic Committee that too many of the bid's venues was too far away from the athletes village in East London.

 

So instead of using state-of-the-art ranges at a venue considered to be the spiritual home of the sport, the shooting will be held at a temporary site at Woolwich Artillery Barracks in Greenwich.

 

The location, though, adds to the feeling of history that will surround these London Olympics. The London port of Woolwich has a long military association, with references to the ordnance at Woolwich dating back from the 15 th century.

Construction of the current Royal Artillery Barracks began in 1776, and at its peak the barracks and ordnance employed 80,000.

 

There is even a famous sporting link with the Barracks. Arsenal Football Club was founded as the works team for the Woolwich Armaments, and the team was known as Woolwich Arsenal until its move to North London in 1915.

 

Rival club Tottenham Hotspur opposed the move, and Spurs fans today still consider their neighbours are newcomers to the area.

 

The ordnance factories of Royal Arsenal finally closed in 1967, and the buildings are now home to Firepower, the museum of artillery.

The Barracks, which is due to receive a £50 million facelift before the Olympics is currently home to the 16th regiment Royal Artillery, which are due to move to a new site in 2007. They are expected to be replaced by a group of 1,000 infantry soldiers, scheduled to arrive in 2007, who will perform a largely ceremonial role, at venues such as Buckingham Palace and Horseguards Parade, the venue that is due to be used for the beach volleyball competition in 2012.

 

The Barracks will undoubtedly provide a great venue for the shooting - which will be able to accommodate crowds of up to 7,500 for each session - but Bisley officials are unlikely to refuse to give up their struggle easily. They have already indicated they plan to launch a campaign to get London to change its mind.