The ‘Great North’ project, consisting of regional mayors and other political leaders from the North of England, has penned a letter to culture secretary Lisa Nandy to urge that any UK bid to host the Olympics should be located in Northern England’s towns and cities.
Andy Burnham, the high-profile Mayor of Greater Manchester, offered his support, stating it “wouldn’t be fair or right” to host the games in London again.
Greater London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan had proposed hosting the 2040 Olympic games in the capital.
It would come almost three decades after 2012, the last time the games were held in London.
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Left in the dust?
In the letter, the Great North said a northern bid for the games would mark “fairer redistribution of major events across the country”.
It would also offer a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate regeneration, rebalance the economy, and reset international perceptions of England”.
Socio-economic inequality between the North and South of England has long been a political headache for British governments, with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘Levelling Up’ campaign a major pull-factor behind his 2019 election win.
Keir Starmer’s incumbent government has followed in similar footsteps, accelerating a decentralisation process which devolves political powers to English cities and regions.
The inaugural Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, himself an Olympic gold medallist, said that “bringing the Olympics to the North isn’t just about sport. It’s about giving our kids something to aim for, creating real opportunities and showing the world what this part of the country has to offer”.
Echoing this statement, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotherham says a joint Olympics would “inspire a whole generation of kids” across the North.
Northern cities have already hosted a range of international events, Rotherham adds, with Liverpool having played host to Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine in 2023.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness are amongst the other signatories.
Multi-city bids
The International Olympic Committee has said it now encourages prospective hosts to send bids of multiple cities, regions, or even countries in an effort to promote sustainability.
The games have previously been criticised for leaving countries and cities with expensive sports facilities which sit largely empty afterwards.
This year’s Winter Olympics were a joint bid between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy and are held across four different clusters, making them the most geographically dispersed winter games yet.
With the next Olympic hosts until 2032 already decided, competition to hold the 2036 and 2040 games is just heating up.
Deep-pocketed Qatar announced its Doha bid and is expected to splash the cash to boost its chances.
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has invested billions in sports in recent years, is also rumoured to be considering a hosting bid.
If the UK government does decide to launch a joint-Northern bid, it will likely face stiff competition.
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