INTERVIEW - Coe lauds 'jaw-dropping' 2012 Olympic velodrome

Chair of LOCOG, Sebastian Coe (2nd L) poses with (L to R) Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald, and ODA Chairman John Armitt, at the finish line of the Velodrome track at the London Olympic site in Stratford in east London November 18, 2010.

LONDON (Reuters) - Sebastian Coe's greatest moments as a sportsman came on the athletics track but as the head of the London 2012 Olympics the 1500 metres double gold medallist has become seduced by the Games' stunning new velodrome.

The base for Olympic cycling was visited by members of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) co-ordination commission on Thursday as part of their latest tour to check preparations.

They, like everyone else who has seen the construction, could not help but be impressed.

"I think this is a jaw-dropping venue. It is going to be one of the iconic venues of the Games," Coe told Reuters in an interview.

"I think it's beautiful from the outside, it is stunning inside, it's intimate and it's going to be a legacy for British cycling for many years to come."

The velodrome will be the first Olympic Park venue to be completed, early in 2011, and there is no doubt it will line up alongside Beijing's Birds Nest and aquatic centre as the most-photographic of Olympic venues once the public are allowed to get close.

The pale Siberian Pine cedar track, held by 300,000 nails, is in place while the darker Red Cedar exterior cladding under a curved roof designed to mimic the curves on the track, is close to completion.

TOUCHING DISTANCE

The nearest of the 6,000 seats puts fans literally within touching distance of the athletes. With its low roof, the noise and atmosphere during the Games should be something special.

"Our challenge with the venues was to make them fit for purpose to do the job for competitors but you also want to design them in a way that puts passionate fans as close to the field of play as possible and I think we've achieved both things here," said Coe as he stood on the finish line, his voice competing with the tools of the busy army of builders.

"Just look at it, the intimacy of it, even in the seats furthest away you are right on top of the action and I can imagine 6,000 people in here raising the roof."

IOC co-ordination commission chairman Denis Oswald, a keen road cyclist himself, echoed Coe's praise.

"I'm very impressed, I've seen many velodromes but this is fabulous," he told Reuters.

"It looks great but technically it's fantastic too.

"It's spectacular really. It's nearly complete and you can start to imagine what it's going to be like during the Games."

The building of the velodrome for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester has been widely credited with helping Britain's development into the world's premier track cycling nation and Coe said another in the capital was a further boost.

'BIGGEST LEGACIES'

"I was at the Manchester velodrome a few weeks ago, the British team had just finished a session and 20 minutes later there were 50 club riders on the track," said Coe. "It's a fantastic opportunity.

"British Cycling are committed to keeping their hub in Manchester but to have another centre of excellence in London is fantastic, not just for London cyclists but also for spreading the triumph that is British cycling across the country.

"One of the biggest legacies post-Games will be cycling. It's not just the velodrome but the BMX centre, the mountain bike site and the associated services for the elite and fun riders," Coe said of the 94 million pounds ($149.8 million) project.

Coe said it had been an encouraging week for everyone involved with 2012 as the Games creep ever closer.

"We are really working on the details now and this is now the most important phase in the delivery of the Games," he said.

"Working closely with the IOC and the co-ordination commission, that have between them delivered many, many Games, has been excellent.

"We are exactly where we want to be, probably slightly ahead. I'm just happy to be standing here today knowing that everything that is under our control, we have under control."

Oswald, who will hold a news conference on Friday to discuss the commission's visit, was also upbeat.

"London are ahead of time and this is very satisfactory and a change from some previous experiences we've had," he said.

"The fact that so many facilities are complete or nearly complete is excellent for the test events.

"Previously some test events have not taken place in the Games location because the venues were not finished and it's important we can really test the people, the functions and the facility itself."

(Editing by Alison Wildey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)