Boris Johnson and Tessa Jowell reach agreement on London 2012 venues

BADMINTON and rhythmic gymnastics look set to be staged at Wembley Arena at London 2012 following a compromise between the capital's mayor Boris Johnson and Olympic minister Tessa Jowell.

NEW HOME: Rhythmic gymnastics and badminton look set to be staged at Wembley Arena at London 2012 Olympics

In a move that could save as much as £20million, the proposed temporary stadium, North Greenwich Arena 2, would no longer be required, should the two sports agree to the move to north-west London.

At Thursday's Olympic board meeting Jowell will back Johnson, who has been a staunch opponent of the temporary venue, provided he agrees to drop his opposition to shooting being staged at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The mayor held a constructive meeting with the Olympics minister where they agreed a shared proposal.

A solution to the issue of where the two sports would be staged has become a matter of urgency after Denis Oswald, head of the co-ordination commission for London 2012 called for a swift decision at the IOC Session in Copenhagen last week.

London Organising Committee chief executive Paul Deighton acknowledged the importance of resolving the matter, which continues to be one of the few blots of an otherwise impressive copybook for London 2012.

"We are as keen to get the issue resolved as we all know the sports are," said Deighton. "We will make sure that it meets the needs of the legacy within London and is viable in terms of cost.

"And it's a case of how best to balance these three things just as it was with all the other sports."

It appears that balance has now been struck, provided the world governing bodies of the two sports agree to the move.

That is far from a formality however, with a major potential stumbling block remaining the extended travelling time between Wembley Arena and the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London.

The International Gymnastics Federation and the International Badminton Federation are due to arrive in the capital imminently as London 2012 organisers attempt to persuade them to give the move the green light.

But the final decision rests with the International Olympic Committee, who will return for the next co-ordination visit in November, by which time, Oswald wants the issue resolved.

"It is urgent that the master plan regarding all venues is sorted out and we are hopeful it will be by our next visit to London in November," said Oswald.

Boxing has already ruled out a move from the ExCel Arena to Wembley on the grounds that the athletes, who are regularly required to be on site to weigh in, would have to travel too far from the Olympic Village.

That would have accommodated the two currently homeless sports at the ExCel Arena but the Amateur International Boxing Association put their foot down.

While British Gymnastics chief executive Brian Stocks has hinted he would welcome the move to Wembley, badminton may be a harder nut to crack with Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy apprehensive about the move.

"We do not believe Wembley Arena is right for us - everyone knows it is our intention to stay in the Olympic Park or be as close to it as possible," he said.

Johnson had also been in favour a further cost-cutting initiative of transferring shooting from Woolwich to Barking but having taken a more relaxed stance on that, it appears a solution to all venues may be in sight.