Olympic Stadium may remain closed until 2016

A view of the Olympic Stadium (GETTY IMAGES)

The Olympic Stadium may not be ready for use again until 2016 according to Dennis Hone, the man in charge of overseeing the transformation of the £468m arena for its post-Games future.

If West Ham United's bid, which remains the clear favourite of the four, is accepted, the club may not move in until the 2016-17 season. The stadium, which will be reduced in capacity to 60,000, is due to host the World Athletics Championships in 2017.

Negotiations are ongoing, with who will foot the £200m bill for making the arena suitable for football believed to be the main sticking point.