'Bid is matter for BOA' - Richard Caborn

Britain's reputation in world sport suffered a serious setback last year when London lost the right to stage the 2005 world athletics championships because the capital would not have a new stadium in place in time for the event.

The 2005 championships were seen as crucial because they are due to take place just a few months before the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) decides on the venue of the 2012 summer games.

But the announcement of the appointment of the consultants keeps the dream of a British Olympic bid alive.

Call for leadership

The BOA has said it will wait until the end of the Commonwealth Games this summer in Manchester to see how Britain copes with staging a major tournament before deciding on making a bid for 2012.

The bid alone is likely to cost a minimum of �30m.

Shadow Secretary of State for Sport, Tim Yeo MP, called for some "ministerial commitment" to winning the games for Britain.

"The appointment of yet another consultant is no substitute for the leadership which British sports fans are desperate for the government to show," he said.

The next summer Olympics take place in Athens in 2004 with the 2008 games due to be held in Beijing.

The consultants will report back to a "stakeholders group" made up of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, UK Sport, the London Development Agency and the BOA.

The BOA has until February 2004 to make its bid known to the IOC.