Olympic Games bid: UK government discusses hosting Olympics in 2040s
The UK government said it was “in discussions about supporting potential bids” for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.
The first study to examine whether the UK can host the Games for the first time since London 2012 will assess key factors such as potential cost, socio-economic benefit and social security. [the] chance of success”.
Ministers say they are also considering whether to support proposals to hold a Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup for golf in the 2030s.
The two team competitions were last held in the UK at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014 and 2019 respectively.
There has been growing momentum in recent months behind a possible bid to bring the Olympics back to the UK for a fourth time.
Last year, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he wanted the city to take part in the 2040 Games.
While Los Angeles in the USA and Brisbane, Australia, will host the Games in 2028 and 2032 respectively, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet selected the cities where the events will be held in 2036 and beyond.
In December, the chairman of funding agency UK Sport told BBC Sport that a bid “has to be an aspiration” and suggested Liverpool and Manchester could be co-hosts.
In February, a group of political leaders called on the government to ensure any future bids were made in the north of England, saying it was “compelling” to host the event.
The Ryder Cup is held every two years in a match competition where the best 24 players from Europe and the United States compete fiercely over three days. Two continents will take turns hosting the event.
In March it was revealed that Bolton had made a bid to host the Ryder Cup in 2035. If successful, the event will be held in the UK for the first time in more than 30 years.
Last year, England Golf pressured the government to take up the bid to host the Solheim Cup, a competition between Europe’s and the US’s leading female golfers, to be held in the country for the first time.
As part of its new ‘sporting events framework’, the government claims it will seek to make the unauthorized reselling of tickets for certain major sporting events, such as Euro 2028, a criminal offence, which will “make it easier to bid, secure and offer major sporting events”.
While England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are hosting Euro 2028, England is the only country bidding to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup.
In November, the government announced legislation banning the sale of tickets to sporting events at high prices, but this law did not apply to football.
