The British Olympic Association has admitted they still have "serious reservations" about the ability of the new Wembley stadium to increase its seating capacity for the standard of the Olympic Games.

Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL) said on Wednesday that UK Athletics, the sport's governing body in Britain, have accepted reassurances that the new 475 million pounds venue, centrepiece of England's bid to host football's 2006 World Cup, could be adapted to also stage the Olympics.

But officials at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are understood to remain privately concerned about the design, and a WNSL spokesman said the company had not yet seen a second critical report on amendments to Lord Foster's plans for the 90,000-seater venue.

In a statement, the BOA said: "We are pleased to learn Wembley National Stadium Limited has now provided UK Athletics with the necessary assurances regarding Wembley's ability to stage the 2005 World Athletics Championships.

"However, we continue to have serious reservations concerning the ability of Wembley to increase its athletic seating capacity to that required for an Olympic Games.

"These concerns, raised as soon as we learnt of Wembley's ' Olympic Solution', have been fueled by the independent report from Ellerbe Becket and subsequent meetings and discussions.

"On Thursday Craig Reedie (chairman) and Simon Clegg (chief executive) of the British Olympic Association will again meet with the Secretary of State and Minister for Sport to press for a solution to be achieved which will take into account the Olympic requirements which the BOA made known to DCMS and Sport England some two years ago," said the statement.

The current Wembley stadium is due to be replaced by the new hi- tech venue in 2003. (Xinhua)