Construction of £486 Million Olympic Stadium Completed for 2012 London Games

International Olympic Committee executives and London’s organizing committee were on hand at Olympic Stadium on Tuesday to lay the final piece of turf on the infield of the venue.

Building work at London’s £486 million stadium has already been completed, just under three years after construction began in May 2008.

“We wouldn’t want anyone to run away with the idea that this stadium is ready to stage an Olympic track and field championship tomorrow,” London 2012 chairman Lord Coe told The BBC. “With one year and a few months to go, this is a great place to be.”

Coe, who watched four-time Olympic silver medalist Frankie Fredericks lay the last piece of turf, revealed that there are still roughly 700 rooms inside the stadium that need to be completed.

“As a chairman of an organizing committee, to be able to tick off this venue is terrific,” the two-time Olympic gold medalist added, The Press Association reports. “It is fantastic. I think it will be an intimate theatre for sport and it has fantastic legacy potential too.”

The Olympic Delivery Authority stated that the completion of the building work at London’s Olympic Stadium is a “huge milestone” for the £9.3 billion project.

The venue will be taken over by English Premier League football club West Ham United F.C. following the 2012 Summer Olympics.