Athletics: Golden track could have been saved

Manchester 2002: Another stadium blunder as details emerge of how the Government rejected plan for retractable seating plan at new City stadium

Today, for the last time, it is the City of Manchester Stadium. Tomorrow the bulldozers move in to prepare for its rebirth as the Manchester City stadium. The shapely, state-of-the-art venue, built at a cost of £110m, has been the sparkling jewel in the crown of Manchester's Commonwealth Games but it is now being given a free transfer to football. One of the world's fastest tracks is being ripped up and competitors are left feeling that once again their sport has been ripped off.

When the sun set quite literally on six days of athletics glory on Wednesday night over an athletic stadium that is the finest Britain has even seen or is likely to see it left the sport homeless. Yet this need not have been the case. Four years ago, before work began on the stadium Manchester City Council approached the Government and Lottery distributors Sport England with a plan that would have allowed football and athletics to share the stadium on a permanent basis.

This would have featured an identical retractable seating arrangement to that in Paris's Stade de France which has been used successfully by both sports since the World Cup final of 1998. But the idea was rejected by the then Culture Secretary Chris Smith. "The stadium you see today could have been our Stade de France," said the council's chief executive Howard Bernstein, one of the prime movers behind getting the Games for Manchester. "We would have required help with the funding but neither the Government nor Sport England wanted to know."

Clearly they had other priorities such as the jinxed Wembley and the doomed Picketts Lock. But 18 months later when the 2005 World Athletic Championships were left with nowhere to run Manchester again suggested they could make the stadium available. This was also turned down.

According to the Sports Minister, Richard Caborn, Manchester was offered to the IAAF but they insisted the event could only be held in London. This is not the recollection of the IAAF president Lamine Diack. "Manchester was never mentioned," he said. "Sheffield, yes, Manchester, no." Diack has told Games organisers that having seen the new stadium he would have been happy for Manchester to stage the 2005 event.

So the stadium sadly has run its last race. Out goes the track and in come 10,000 extra seats making the capacity a Premiership-friendly 48,000. "We were left with no alternative in the circumstances," said Bernstein. "It was the only viable economic solution." Caborn at least admits that he felt personally the decision to reject retractable seating was "regrettable". He added: "But decisions have been made and we had to draw a line to ensure these Games were a success."

Gold-medal winner Paula Radcliffe is among the star athletes who have condemned the move as "a disgrace". But the council and Sport England argue that the city will benefit from a profit-sharing deal with the football club which will plough money back into local sport. And they say the nearby warm-up track could be developed into a 10,000-seater stadium for athletics meetings. But Caborn hinted yesterday that private sector money may have to be found to fund this. "This is the way forward for sport in future," he said.

Parts of the main track are to be rolled up and transported to other stadiums, including the National Indoor Arena at Birmingham, which hosts the World Indoor Championships next year. But as former Olympic double gold-medal winner Sebastian Coe says: "It seems a shame, after all we have seen here, that such a fine track should end up as a travelling puncture repair outfit."

The council plans to convert Maine Road into a rugby stadium and general sports centre for community use. It is also arranging for the present stadium to be available for community events, 100 days a year when Manchester City move in. "We didn't want to create a white elephant," said Bernstein. "The agreement with Manchester City provides a great future."