West Ham star knocks Tottenham's Olympic Stadium bid

West Ham captain Matthew Upson has hit back at Tottenham's intention to demolish the Olympic Stadium and hopes the east London club will be awarded the bid to play there.

Tottenham have announced controversial plans to knock down the £500m arena and build a new football stadium.

The move has outraged the athletics world and International Olympic Committee executive board member Frankie Fredericks is adamant that the stadium should keep the athletics track after the end of the Olympics in 2012.

West Ham have every intention of keeping the running track and want to keep the Olympic theme alive when they move into the new ground.

Upson fully understands why his club want to keep the track around the pitch and hopes the right decision is made on January 28 when the Olympic Park Legacy Committee announce the preferred bidder.

Upson said: "I do understand why the club see the importance of athletics within the stadium and also for what it will mean for the community.

"It is a great stadium and there are many positives that outweigh any concerns over the track. It would be great if it was the centre-point of British athletics after the Games.

"A great heritage would come with that and it would be a positive thing for future generations. It is important and would be for the greater good of UK sport."