Olympic Stadium Design Unveiled

Well, it's certainly less controversial than the logo. The design for the new Olympic Stadium is something of a zoetrope in the aspirational design launch video which follows bits of the stadium as they fly and crawl through London to Stratford, witnessed by a jogging girl with a coldsore. The bits all spin together excitingly to settle into a massive, goldfish bowl. Or sunken, oval cupcake.

After the Games, 25,000 temporary Olympic seats will be removed (almost halving spectator capacity) and the venue be turned into an athletics stadium hosting "a variety of sporting, educational, cultural and community events". Gah. It's a massive shame they haven't attracted a football, rugby or cricket tenant yet.

Still, this is a familiar, functional, athletics stadium to anchor the 2012 Olympic Games to the heart of "Stadium Island", designed by the same expert people that did Wembley, the O2 and Emirates Stadium with no birds nests or fripperies (except those multi-coloured vending "pods" it's surrounded by).

It's a Ronseal affair. It'll do what it says on the tin. Hopefully, on time.