Apartments could be named after the athletes who stayed in them during the 2012 Olympics

Olympic flats could be marketed under the names of the famous athletes who will stay in them, under plans to help sell the 2012 accommodation in east London.

The team responsible for building the Olympic village is also considering selling some of the homes before 2012, on condition that residents move out to make room for athletes while the Games are taking place.

Olympic 2012 village

Building understands that this is part of a plan to stagger sales of the homes to prevent flooding the housing market after the Games. It also wants to assuage fears that homes will be left empty after the Games.

A source at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said it had been looking at different ways of selling the homes. Marketing them as the Olympic home of famous athletes was one option under consideration, the source said.

Negotiations between the Lend Lease team and the ODA stalled last year when the consortium insisted on a subsidy to ensure it made a profit on the 4,500-home scheme. Lend Lease was concerned that too many properties would come on to the market after the Games.

A source close to the Lend Lease consortium said that the designers would have to work out how to design family homes that could be converted into

five-star accommodation for the athletes for the Olympics.

The source said: “The buildings will be designed for legacy and converted for short-term use during the Olympics.”