Olympics: Coe upsets Eastenders

London 2012 chiefs today faced criticism from two former bid ambassadors over the new route for the Olympic marathon with chairman Sebastian Coe admitting the decision is one of the toughest they have had to take.

The route will begin and end at the Mall in central London and be run in four loops, rather than finish in the Olympic Stadium in the east of the city as was originally planned.

Two of the teenagers who featured in London's bid presentation in 2005 have added to protests that the two miles through the borough of Tower Hamlets has been scrapped.

Katie Murphy and Anh Thi Nguyen, both now aged 23, were highlighted during London's bid as sports-loving Tower Hamlets schoolgirls who would among those benefiting from the Games.

Nguyen said: "We feel really bad and are shocked and disappointed by what they are doing. It is really out of order. We won the Olympics based on how it was for east London, and now we feel betrayed."

Coe said: "This is one of the hardest decisions we have had to take and we realise that this may be disappointing for Tower Hamlets, but the vast majority of the sporting action will take place in the Olympic Park.