Any future bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games on home soil must take place in the north of England, according to a new campaign spearheaded by a team of northern mayors leaders to help rebalance the north-south divide.
Staging the Games for the first time in the north is a “compelling proposition” offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate regeneration, rebalance the economy and reset international perceptions of England, they say.
The Great North, a group of mayors and leaders across the North, have kicked off their campaign with a joint letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, calling on the Government to pledge to back any potential future bids being based in the north for “a fairer redistribution of major events across the country”.
In the letter, The Great North, which is chaired by North East mayor Kim McGuinness, also ask the Government to work with them and support proportionate feasibility and preparatory work.
Mayor McGuinness said: “The North of England has a sporting history and prowess like no other place, and we are united in our belief that our region could host a box office, world-leading Olympic Games.
“Bringing the Olympics to the UK would unite the North and the whole nation, bringing people together and unleashing a groundswell of pride in our places. The Olympics create a legacy like no other, with game-changing investment in jobs, regeneration and transport, creating opportunity for people across the North.
“As Mayors and leaders we are ready to deliver, now we need national Government and sporting bodies to match our ambition: The Olympics would be our moment for the North to stand tall on the international stage.”
They also want to work with the Government to help form the legacy goals of any bid and ensure there is a long-term benefit for northern communities, including a plan so the region can count on more major events to help bolster jobs, regeneration prospects and attract more visitors.
Recent moves by the International Olympic Committee to opt for multi-city and region-wide Games, has helped fuel excitement of a potential bid by the campaigners.
They point to a track record of hosting global events, from the Manchester Commonwealth Games, the Euro 2028 football championships, the Great North Run, Rugby League World Cups, The Open, Ashes Tests, the Grand National, and major football tournaments.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham believes that staging the Games would be “a defining moment for the North and we are confident our bid would make for a compelling proposition”.
Saying that much of the infrastructure is already in place, he added: “For Greater Manchester, the 2002 Commonwealth Games marked a real turning point.
“It sparked transformative regeneration and economic growth, changing how people felt about our city region and how the world viewed us.
“An Olympic and Paralympic Games would deliver a similar impact on a much bigger scale, through long-term investment which transforms our region and leaves a legacy far beyond the Games.”
Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run, said he “wholeheartedly” backed the mayor’s ambition for the north of England as it “is about more than an Olympic bid – it’s about delivering a fairer distribution of major international sporting events across the country”.
He added: “Obviously iconic sporting occasions like Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, Lord’s Test matches and the London Marathon, are rightly celebrated in the nation’s capital, but when the Government is financing hosting global sporting events, they should have a balanced national approach as their guiding principle.”
The campaigners also point out that the region has a record of hosting large-scale major culture events, including being home to the Hull UK City of Culture in 2017 and Bradford in 2025 and hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, while events such as the Mobo Awards, Turner Prize, MTV European Music Awards and the Brits have also been held there.
Hull and East Yorkshire mayor Luke Campbell recalled that winning boxing gold at the London 2012 Olympics was “one of the proudest moments of my life” and he was confident the sport-loving region was packed with “the passion, the grit and the creativity to make this bid a real success”.
He added: “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.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, described a homegrown Olympics as “our moment to go for gold” on the world stage, adding: “With the Government’s commitment to invest in Northern Powerhouse Rail, strong partnerships across the North, and a region brimming with energy, creativity and ambition, together we have the potential to host a Games that the world would never forget.”
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It could also impact local communities who “too often felt like they’ve been left out of the national story”, he suggested, adding “just imagine how it could inspire a whole generation of kids in Bootle, Barnsley and Byker who deserve to feel that buzz on their doorstep”.
West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin feels a northern Olympics could showcase the region’s history of producing champions while boosting investment, jobs and opportunity.
She said: “We have the venues, we have the talent and we have the ambition – let’s bring the Olympics to the North and prove that when we’re backed, we deliver.”
South Yorkshire’s mayor Oliver Coppard, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, York and North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith, Stephen Atkinson, the chairman of the Lancashire Combined County Authority, and Louise Gittins, chairwoman of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Shadow Board, are among those who are backing The Great North group.
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