The first steps have been taken to see Great Britain host the Olympics, in the North of England, for the first time since London 2012.
The government this morning commissioned an “initial strategic assessment” into the potential for the North of England to stage the quadrennial games in the 2040s.
Though any decision to bid for the Olympics is down to the British Olympic Association, the government will scope out whether vast swathes of the North could collaborate to host the Games.
It would be the first time Britain would host the Olympic Games outside of the capital, which itself has staged the tournament on three occasions.
It follows successful multi-sport events in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham in the form of the Commonwealth Games.
The plans, announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, come as part of a wider so-called growth agenda and follows a King’s Speech which included a new Sporting Events Bill that plans to cut red tape to help in the staging of global tournaments.
Olympics back in Britian?
And the announcement comes with plans of a “Stadium Regeneration Accelerator” to help towns and cities across England develop “priority sports infrastructure development projects – such as stadiums – that can help deliver local regeneration and commercial growth”.
The UK will this year host the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup and European Athletics Championships, while the Home Nations will stage the Euros in 2028.
The government, too, is backing bids to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships in London and the 2035 Women’s Fifa World Cup.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness described North of England Olympics plan as a “global showcase, leaving a legacy of prosperity, unity and renewal”, while Premier League chief Richard Masters said that “new and redeveloped stadiums will deliver over 100,000 extra seats for supporters, as well as thousands of new jobs”.
A statement read: “Initial work examining whether the UK could host the Games for the first time since London 2012 will assess key factors such as potential cost, socioeconomic benefit and any bid’s chance of success.”
