Olympics in north of England? 'Multi-city' bid for 2040s to be assessed

The Government have approved UK Sport to assess a bid for the North of England to host the Olympic and Paralympic games in the 2040s; The Games have been held in London three times but nowhere else in the UK; The North is overdue prominence on the global stage, says Lisa Nandy MP A bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the North of England in the 2040s is under consideration A bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the North of England in the 2040s is being planned by the Gove

Manchester failed with a bid to host the Games in 1996 and also in 2000 where the city came third in the bidding process, when Sydney won the right to host the 2000 Olympics. A potential 2040s bid in the North of England comes as the current UK Government believe for too long any northern bid was doomed to fail as only London was seen as big enough and important enough to host the 'Greatest Show on Earth'. Sky Sports on WhatsApp: Breaking news, videos and analysis Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free on NOW Keely Hodgkinson celebrates gold in a new championship record at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Culture, Media & Sport Secretary of State Lisa Nandy MP told Sky Sports : " For a long time the North of England has shown amazing ability to put on some of the best sporting events not just in the country, but in the world. "We've produced world-class athletes, people like Keely Hodgkinson and so many others, but we've been told over and over again that when it comes to the Olympic Games it's just not for us. "We don't accept that as a government, so today we're firing the starting gun on an Olympic bid for the North of England in the 2040's. "We think it's long overdue and it's the North's turn. "It's a vote of confidence from us in the North of England. We saw what London 2012 can do for the country and we believe that it's time to bring the Olympics home to the North of England and show the world what we can do." The London 2012 Olympic Games was the last held in Britain 'We can put on one of most incredible Olympics that world has ever seen' While traditionally an Olympics & Paralympics are hosted by a single city, the plan for a potential fourth Games on UK soil is not based in one city, but rather several. "Manchester is an enormous asset to us in this, but we believe that there is potential for the Olympic games to be shared across other sites as well, said Nandy, who described Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium as a "world-class facility". Nandy added: "We're looking at multi-city sites across the north of England as part of our bid and obviously we're talking to all of the key players in this starting with the British Olympic Association, but the IOC and others about it. "We've seen in other areas like football how multi-city events can be not just be really, really positive for fans, but a huge boost to so many parts of this country and in other countries in the world.

Key points

• Manchester failed with a bid to host the Games in 1996 and also in 2000 where the city came third in the bidding process, when Sydney won the right to host the 2000 Olympics.
• A potential 2040s bid in the North of England comes as the current UK Government believe for too long any northern bid was doomed to fail as only London was seen as big enough and important enough…
• Sky Sports on WhatsApp: Breaking news, videos and analysis Not got Sky?
• Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free on NOW Keely Hodgkinson celebrates gold in a new championship record at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Culture, Media & Sport Secretary of State Lis…
• "We've produced world-class athletes, people like Keely Hodgkinson and so many others, but we've been told over and over again that when it comes to the Olympic Games it's just not for us.