Olympic chiefs have confirmed that the 2012 Games marathon will take place in central London and not in the East End as first planned.

OLYMPIC chiefs have confirmed that the London 2012 marathon will be staged in central London and not in the East End.

A London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) statement said that the marathon will finish in The Mall and not in the Olympic Stadium as originally proposed.

LOCOG chair Lord Coe said that initial plans to stage the marathon between Tower Hill and the Olympic Stadium had been abandoned because of the potential for disruption to transport and other Olympic events.

The change to the route has been met with fierce opposition from council leaders and MPs from Newham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets who have said that the run would have been the only opportunity for many East Enders to witness an Olympic event.