A smaller aquatics centre is planned for the 2012 Olympics in an effort to cut spiraling costs.
The original project had threatened to double its US$142.5 million budget, so Olympics minister Tessa Jowell instructed architect Zaha Hadid to come up with a cheaper and less ambitious design.
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said Monday the cost of the scaled-down venue, which will host swimming and diving events but not water polo, has not been finalized.
The new design will trim 5,000 seats from the original 20,000. Although the wave-shaped roof will remain, it will be smaller than originally planned.
Jowell announced last week that infrastructure costs for the Games had increased by $1.7 billion. The cost of the main Olympic park is now $6.25 billion because of rising costs in security, steel prices and inflation, she said.
