London 2012 Olympics: British Handball slams venue name change Paul Goodwin, chief executive of British Handball, said: "Retaining the name of the sport in the title of the venue is important to us. The Olympics has given handball a great opportunity to grow in popularity, and all the indications are that we are achieving that. Handball has seen a six-fold increase in participation across England alone, with almost 60,000 children and young people being introduced to the sport last year. I think we deserve to have all our good work in developing the sport recognised by the authorities by not giving the venue a generic title which does nothing to reflect its usage. Why have they not renamed other facilities in a similar vein? "Perhaps the Olympic Velodrome will be called "the big round wooden building" or the basketball arena renamed as "the marshmallow"?" After the Games the venue will be operated by London-based Greenwich Leisure Limited and is set to be used as a venue capable of hosting concerts, shows and exhibitions.