London 2012 Velodrome Naming Rights has Big Interest from Sponsors

The London 2012 Olympic Velodrome is at the centre of a tug of war from sponsors for the namings rights of the venue after the Olympics.

Westfield, due to its proximity to the velodrome and Sky because of its close associations with cycling, are said to be the front-runners in a bidding battle that has attracted substantial interest.

The naming rights for London 2012 venues are being put up for sale to ensure that the British public do not have to be charged premium prices to use the facilities after the Games.

The velodrome is widely considered to be one of the most attractive venues on the park and is currently in the running to win this year’s Stirling prize for the best European building that is built or designed in Britain, so the naming rights would no doubt be of interest to many companies looking for a sound investment.

Peter Tudor, director of venues at the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: “The velodrome has the exposure, and the profile and there are discussions, encouraging ones at the moment.”

He told the London Assembly that the Manchester velodrome, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, costs between £200,000 ($315,000) and £300,000 ($473,00) a year to run but that naming rights for the Olympic Park velodrome would “drive that figure down substantially” in terms of any cost to the public purse.