British athlete says Lewisham Olympic plans are a nonstarter

British athlete and London Olympic hopeful Joice Maduaka ‏was underwhelmed by Lewisham's Olympic preparations when she turned up for a practice today at the Ladywell Arena and couldn't find a working set of starting blocks. She tweeted:

Not so smart idea.Went local for practice Ladywell Arena. No starting blocks all broken.Are we really hosting an Olympic Games?

Eventually, she found some, but added:

Amazing what you get when you kick up. Smh. But they only have 1 set. Come on @LewishamCouncil sort it out http://pic.twitter.com/qNBubYMn Not moaning just disappointed in Olympic year they dont have equipment. I paid my £2.60 for use of the track.

As a "Gateway" borough (next door to where the action's actually happening), Lewisham initially imagined it would play host to a number of teams as part of its Olympic legacy. In 2008, Mayor Bullock said:

In Lewisham we’re working towards developing some excellent sport and leisure facilities for everyone to enjoy and I hope people will take full advantage of them. In particular, my goal is to help Lewisham’s young people achieve their own goals and levels of sporting excellence. 

Follow Joice on Twitter here. Thanks to Martin for the heads-up.