Plans for a possible north of England Olympics and Paralympics have been criticised as “a missed opportunity” by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
The BBC said ministers have commissioned UK Sport to conduct an initial strategic assessment into whether the north of England could host the Games in the 2040s.
The funding agency is going to examine the potential cost of staging the event for the first time since London 2012, as well as socio-economic benefits and any bid’s chance of success.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the government was “starting the firing gun” on the north of England Olympics and Paralympics project.
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan said, however, “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor has openly expressed his ambition for the capital to be part of a future Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Sadiq believes that a potential country-wide bid, using all the assets we have in the UK, including the publicly-owned London Stadium would deliver the very best possible Olympics.
“Using London’s existing world-class infrastructure would help deliver the greenest and most sustainable Games, as well as unlocking huge economic growth both here in London and around the country.
“Not including the capital in an Olympics bid would be a missed opportunity, and mean our country fails to unleash the full benefits of a UK-wide games.”
Nandy said, “For too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the north.
“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came north and we showed what we can offer to the world.
“We know that we can pull off the most incredible, not just bid, but Olympics. So we’re kick-starting that with a phase-one study about the investment, the resources, the infrastructure, the transport that we’re going to need.”
The findings of UK Sport’s study will determine whether to proceed with a more detailed technical feasibility study, with a final decision on any bid resting with the British Olympic Association (BOA).
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I’m delighted ministers and sporting bodies are now exploring how we could turn this ambition into a reality. We stand ready to work together to develop a credible, deliverable vision that can make the case to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”
More than two-thirds of the UK public felt the £8.77 billion cost of London 2012 was worth the money, according to a survey conducted the following year, despite it being three times more than the original budget.
The event was also credited with helping to regenerate east London and boosting the economy. However, it also failed to deliver the increase in sporting participation that organisers had hoped for.
Potential Olympic venues
In February, a group of northern political leaders urged the government to ensure any future Olympic bid would be based in the region.
They said the region already has many of the foundations in place to deliver a world-class Games, including elite sporting venues, major stadia and arenas.
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium is one of a number of major sporting venues across the region, while Manchester United are currently looking to have a 100,000-seat stadium ready by 2035. Manchester is also home to the national velodrome and an aquatics centre.
It has previously been suggested that Liverpool’s Albert Dock and River Mersey could host sailing events, with the Lake District potentially used for open-water swimming.
The government has also announced the launch of the ‘Stadium Regeneration Accelerator’.
The project will see it working with sports bodies like the Premier League and English Football League on infrastructure development projects, such as stadiums, “that have the potential to regenerate their surrounding areas.”
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