Olympics-London must retain Games track, says Bubka

* Track was guaranteed by London in bid, Bubka says

* Coe sure commitments will be reflected in stadium future (Adds Coe comments)

London must honour its promise to maintain an athletics track at the 2012 Olympic Stadium, senior vice president of the IAAF and IOC member Sergei Bubka said on Saturday.

"It must be promised what was said in 2005," Bubka told a small group of reporters outside of an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council meeting.

"In 2005 in Singapore (when the 2012 Games were awarded by the International Olympic Committee), London promised to us... I am speaking now as an IOC member... to deliver the legacy after the Olympic Games," Bubka said. "It was guaranteed to us the track will remain.

"When we say something, shake the hand, it's a deal."

Originally, the 80,000-seater Olympic stadium was designed to be stripped down to a 25,000-capacity athletics venue after the Games but there were fears that it would become unsustainable unless a high-profile tenant was found.

Bids from Premier League soccer clubs West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have been short-listed as the preferred tenants for the stadium after the Games although the latter, who have teamed up with entertainment giants AEG, are less keen to keep the track.

"Reduce the capacity of the stadium and continue to play football, play rugby, (and) do athletics," Bubka said.

He noted that Berlin's 1936 Olympic Stadium, when renovated, had maintained a track and successfully hosted both FIFA World Cup and IAAF world championships competitions.

The world pole vault record holder said the issue of a track could be discussed if necessary but London must keep its promise.

"We just need to remind them," said Bubka adding that he planned to speak to Sebastian Coe, head of the London 2012 organising committee.

Coe told Reuters in Monaco the London bid had committed to an athletics legacy and he was sure that would be echoed in the decision about the future of the stadium.

"That is what the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) that is looking at this at the moment is shifting through," the IOC member and IAAF vice president said.

"I have no intention of entering that debate other than to say yes... we made commitments and I am sure that will be reflected in the decision the Olympic Park Legacy Company makes."

The OPLC has control over the future use of the venue and its chairwoman Margaret Ford reiterated last month that one of the criteria for bidders was to show how they would meet the promise for athletics in legacy.

The local organising committee (LOCOG) declined to comment.

"The situation is getting bad," Bubka said.

"I understand business but this is money we invest in the health of the nation, the image of the nation."