PM backs north of England Olympics bid with £7m feasibility study

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has backed a north of England bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the 2040s, with £7m for a full Northern Games feasibility study expected to be announced in Chancellor John Healey’s Budget on Wednesday Sky News via Manx Radio.

The £7m would fund an exploration of the bid only — not a bid that has been won, and no host city has been chosen. The study is expected to be announced by Chancellor John Healey in his Budget on Wednesday, so it has not yet been formally announced.

The idea was proposed by the Northern Mayors and backed by former Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey, according to BBC reporting The News. The initial strategic assessment will be conducted by the government, UK Sport, the Northern Mayors and the British Olympic and Paralympic associations.

The British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport welcomed the move in a joint statement: “We welcome the government’s continued support for exploring the potential of a future bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the UK in the 2040s” Bytes Europe.

Burnham said: “Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly.” The last time the UK hosted the Olympics was London 2012.