ODA chief Dennis Hone claims British business winning work due to Games

British companies have been winning work on the basis of their involvement in the Olympics despite restrictions on marketing linked to the Games, the chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority has claimed.

Companies who are not official sponsors of the Olympics are barred from publicising their involvement in projects linked to the Games.

The restrictions have been widely criticised within the construction industry. NLA chairman Peter Murray has called for the government to scrap the rules before the Games begin.

But Dennis Hone, chief executive of the ODA, said: “You have to recognise that although it may be an irritation to some of the contractors, it hasn’t prevented them utilising their experience on the Olympics in terms of making bids for other projects.

Addressing a press conference held to discuss the design of Olympic venues, Hone added: “A lot of our companies have been very successful in other sporting events around the world.

“Yes there is a restriction in terms of general publicity but they can use it in a very targeted way. It’s not a straightjacket in the way it’s sometimes portrayed.”

Angela Brady, president of the RIBA, was also speaking at the event. “The interesting thing is that because buildings are quite big, it’s hard to hide them,” she said. “I don’t think many of those buildings will be out of the public view.”