After the controversy surrounding the London 2012 Olympic logo, reporters wondered just how wacky the design for the main stadium would be.

The jigsaw-like logo, which is supposed to resemble the date of the Games, was criticised for being too abstract, while its animated flashing version was said to pose a health hazard.

But when the press, sponsors and VIPs sat down on a pile of mud at the building site in Stratford in east London, you could feel the muted disappointment among the hacks. After all, hadn’t the cost of the stadium shot up by 77 percent to 496 million pounds?

Where were the towers or the arches? Where were the wings or the sails?

Not even being told we were sitting on the finishing line seemed to lift the spirits.

The designer tried to convince us, saying the wrap around the stadium may feature a mosaic, with pixelated images of athletes which will come into focus from afar.

Athletes attending did their best when they said they had goose pimples just seeing the warm-up area. And there was clapping among the VIPs.

But it was not another Wembley with its soaring arch, the designer himself admitted.

It was not a Cardiff Millennium Stadium with its metal arrows, and it was not a Beijing ‘nest’ with its intricate lattice of steelwork.

But it was practical, as the designer said. Temporary seating will be removed after the Games to leave a 25,000 seat stadium to be used for athletics and the community.

Let’s hope he’s right when he says its compactness will help create a special atmosphere inside.