London mayor criticises plans for north of England bid to host Olympics | North of England

London’s mayor has criticized plans to investigate a bid for the north of England to host the Olympics, saying excluding London would be a “missed opportunity”.

Ministers have commissioned an evaluation by UK Sport that could lead to a bid for international sporting action in the 2040s. If the campaign had been successful, it would be the first time the Olympic Games and Paralympics would be held in Britain since London 2012.

A spokesman for Sadiq Khan said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and the mayor has made clear his desire for the capital to be part of future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Sadiq believes that a potential nationwide bid using all the assets we have in the UK, including the publicly owned London Stadium, would deliver the best possible Olympics.
“Using London’s existing world-class infrastructure will help deliver the greenest and most sustainable Games, as well as unlocking major economic growth both in London and across the country.

“Not including capital in an Olympic bid would be a missed opportunity and would mean our country would not be able to reap the full benefits of the UK-wide games.”

The strategic evaluation will examine costs, socioeconomic benefits to the north and the proposal’s chances of success.

The plans were welcomed by two ministers whose constituencies are in the north: Culture Secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, and the chancellor, Leeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves.

Nandy said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted major investment and showed the world the best of Britain.

“But while the north of England champions sporting excellence so much – whatever the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create and the world-class events we attract – we have been told for too long that the Olympics are too big and too important to be held in the north.

“Not anymore. Now it’s time for the Olympics to go north and show the world what we have to offer.”

Reeves said Britain’s sporting success was “recognised and respected around the world”.

“This is something we are committed to leveraging to bring life to our communities and build a stronger, safer economy,” the Chancellor said.

“That’s why we’re giving our full support to bringing the Games back home, which will strengthen our northern growth corridor. It’s also why we’re backing stadium regeneration plans like the one at Elland Road to deliver new homes, jobs and public spaces in Leeds and beyond.”

The basis for a potential Olympic bid comes as the government recently outlined a raft of measures to support major sporting events.

This included the appointment of Labour’s Lord McConnell as a ministerial adviser on soft power and major events, given the former Scottish prime minister’s experience campaigning to bring the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014.

The government has also introduced a sporting events bill to parliament that aims to make it easier to bid for major sporting events.

Khan’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, was mayor of London during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Los Angeles will host the next summer Games for the third time in July 2028.

London has also hosted the summer Games three times (1908, 1948 and 2012), as has Paris (1900, 1924 and 2024).