North of England Olympic bid for 2040s being assessed

The government has commissioned UK Sport to conduct an "initial strategic assessment" into a potential bid for the north of England to host the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.

It said the funding agency would examine whether the UK could host the Games for the first time since London 2012, along with potential cost, socio-economic benefit and any bid's chance of success.

"For too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the north", Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Sport.

"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).

In February, a group of northern political leaders urged the government to ensure any future Olympic bid would be based in the region, claiming there was a "compelling" case, and that it "already has many of the foundations in place to deliver a world-class Games, including elite sporting venues, major stadia and arenas".

It came after London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said last year that he wanted the Games to return to the capital.

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 £8.77bn 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.

"It was incredible for the country", said Nandy. "It brought in significant amounts of investment… it brought the whole nation together."

Manchester failed with bids for the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, but went on to successfully host the 2004 Commonwealth Games, with the City of Manchester Stadium used as the athletics venue. It was then converted into a football arena for Manchester City, since renamed Etihad Stadium, one of a number of major sporting venues across the region.

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.

Manchester United have said they are aiming to have a new 100,000 seater stadium ready by 2035. Leeds United also have plans to develop Elland Road.

When asked which stadium might form the centrepiece of any northern Olympic bid, Nandy said, "the study will look at identifying all of the potential sites that we're going to need…there are particular challenges around some of the athletics facilities, but actually these are things that any government should be addressing anyway, and an Olympic bid gives us the opportunity to do that."

"The reality of the current financial context is that we want to work with what infrastructure already exists", said Nandy. "There is good infrastructure across the north of England, but it needs to be upgraded…You only need to look at some of the amazing infrastructure that we're building, like the new Everton stadium, to see exactly what we can do here."

In an effort to reduce costs and the need for spending on new infrastructure, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is known to be more open to multi-city or regional bids.

"We've got to prove to them that we can do this in the north of England" said Nandy. "I believe that we can, though, and we're deadly serious about making it happen."