London Olympic Board to discuss 2012 boxing venue

LONDON 2012 officials and key stakeholders will meet today with the venue for boxing events at the top of their agenda.

IN DOUBT: The venue for London 2012 boxing - which will include women's events for the first time - is still not known

The 40th meeting of the Olympic Board, which is chaired by London mayor Boris Johnson, will consider arguments about where to stage the sport when they gather at City Hall this afternoon.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, Locog chairman Lord Coe and British Olympic Association chairman Lord Moynihan will also attend.

Olympic organisers are looking at alternatives to building a £40 million temporary arena in North Greenwich.

They want to shift badminton and rhythmic gymnastics to the ExCel centre and switch boxing to an existing facility – with Wembley Arena in north London their top suggestion.

But officials from the AIBA, boxing’s world governing body, oppose the move – claiming it’s too far from the Olympic Village in east London.

BOA chief executive Andy Hunt will also attend the Olympic Board and has made no secret of his opposition to a Wembley switch.

"Both the national governing body and the international federation did extensive evaluations on Wembley as a possibility," he said.

"I think all parties concluded that for boxing it was not the right solution. Boxing want to remain in ExCel, and from the sport's perspective that's what we support."

The International Olympic Committee has given London 2012 until the end of the year to finalise their venues, although Locog chief executive Paul Deighton insists the decision will not be rushed.