The announcements were made to coincide with the handover of the completed Olympic Park.
David Cameron hosted a special cabinet meeting in the handball arena to mark the fact there were just 200 days to go until the opening ceremony on 27 July and to discuss progress so far. Afterwards the prime minister said he was "determined to maximise the benefits of 2012 for the whole country".
There were also a series of Olympics announcements, including the name for the handball arena during the Games – the Copper Box – and that of the huge bridge that will act as gateway to the park: Stratford Walk. And Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, is due to announce on Tuesday that the government will invest £1bn over five years in youth and community sport, with an emphasis on 14- to 25-year-olds.
The coalition has come under fire for slashing the national ringfenced school sport budget by half and abandoning an inherited target to get 1 million more people playing more sport by 2013.
The Guardian revealed last year that the target was being axed, with the most recent figures showing only 111,800 had been added.
The handball arena – which will become a multi-use arena that can host community sport, concerts, exhibitions and other events after the Games – and the aquatics centre, will both be run by a company called Greenwich Leisure.
There were fears that the aquatics centre, which will be reduced in capacity from 17,500 to 3,000 after the Games, would need up to £1m in annual public subsidy.
But the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) said Greenwich Leisure would be able to use profits from the handball arena to subsidise the operation of the aquatics centre.
The handball arena will reopen in 2013 and the aquatics centre in 2014. The OPLC plans to sell naming rights to both venues.
According to the contract, the price of a swim at the aquatics centre or a court at the arena will be the same as at a local sports centre.
Responsibility for maintaining the Olympic Park for the next decade has been handed to Balfour Beatty as part of a £50m deal. The firm will manage the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park's 100 hectares (250 acres) of parkland, wetlands and gardens, and maintain venues such as the aquatics centre and multi-use arena.
It will also operate the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower, designed by Turner prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor.
"These world class sports venues will be opened up to both the public and elite athletes to use post-Games, while the ArcelorMittal Orbit will stand as an iconic London attraction," said Hunt.
"With operators for six of the eight permanent Olympic venues secured, we are on track to have the future of the entire park finalised before the Games begin."
The two venues yet to have confirmed legacy operators are the main stadium and the international broadcast and press centre.
The new initiative announced by Hunt, funded by lottery money, will task Sport England with channelling £450m through national governing bodies – with 60% going to youth sport and aimed at opening up school facilities to the community and setting up after-school clubs.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) will formally assume control of the Olympic Park on Tuesday from the Olympic Delivery Authority, which was responsible for building the venues at a cost of £7.1bn.
Locog's website will list all Games-related events, from the Festival 2012 cultural programme to the torch relay and so-called "live sites" showing events on big screens.
Attempts to persuade local communities to hold parties and events when the Olympic torch passes through their area will be stepped up as the 19 May start date approaches.
"In just 200 days time, 200 countries – more than the membership of the United Nations – will be sending 15,000 athletes and 20,000 accredited media to London to create history," said Locog chairman Lord Coe. "There is huge excitement ahead and we want the whole country to start planning their summer."
However, a poll has found that two thirds of the public do not feel positive about the Olympics and more than half are not excited about the Games.
Research carried out by ComRes for ITV News at Ten revealed on Monday night that, nationwide, 67% do not think the Olympics will benefit people's lives their area, with 55% stating that the event will only benefit London and Londoners.
More than half the population said they were not excited about the Games.
Owen Gibson, Olympics editor
The Guardian, Tuesday 10 January 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/10/london-olympics-future-of-venues
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