OLYMPIC: Tessa Sanderson has been barred from helping to decide the future of the Olympic Stadium because of a clash of interest, the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) announced today.

The head-to-head race to move into the £537 million stadium in Stratford, East London, is now at a crucial stage.

A decision on whether the joint bid from West Ham and Newham Council or Tottenham and sports and entertainment giants AEG is successful is expected in the next few weeks.

The OPLC has now discovered that Olympic champion Sanderson, 54, who is an OPLC board member, also has a personal consultancy contract with Newham Council.

Sanderson is the 1984 Olympic javelin champion.