Three London 2012 olympic venues could be discarded if a financial review ordered by the British government discovers they will not be cost effective.

KPMG, a leading financial management consultancy, is scrutinising the Greenwich Park development, which is due to accommodate the shooting venue in front of the historic Royal Artillery Barracks, equestrian and basketball at the main Olympic site.

Complete surveillance

It's part of a complete surveillance of the 2012 project instigated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure it stays within the overall 9.3 billion pound (US$17 billion, euro12 billion) budget.

It is "possible but unlikely" the iconic venues at Greenwich Park could be scrapped as a result, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said.

While money seemed no object for the Beijing Olympics, soaring costs have seen the British plans - which will regenerate a derelict area in east London - come under intense scrutiny from government watchdogs, politicians and taxpayers.

"We have commissioned KPMG to do a report on the equestrian, shooting and basketball venues, looking at whether the Olympic experience and the legacy they will provide represents value for money," Jowell said. "When you take the costs for these venues, it seems like a lot of money to a lot of people.

"It is a sort of testing-to-destruction to see whether that spending can be justified."

The Olympic Delivery Authority has warned that London's preparations are being affected by turmoil in the global financial markets, which could make the project go over budget.

London organisers moved shooting from Bisley - 72 kilometres (45 miles) away from the Olympic Park - to the more visually appealing barracks in Woolwich, a 10-minute drive away, during the bid process.

Opposition

But Britain's shooters have since expressed opposition to the 7,500-seat temporary venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Southeast London that would cost more than 25 million pounds (US$48 million; euro34 million) and would be demolished after the games.

British Shooting wants a gun club in Dartford, a 45-minute drive away from the Olympic Park in London's East End, to be revamped to become a permanent range for all shooting disciplines.

Basketball will be played at a temporary 12,000-seat arena in the Olympic Park, which will provide no legacy, while the finals will be at O2 Arena, formerly the Millennium Dome.