Yorkshire mayors say the North should host next UK Olympics
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 to help rebalance the North-South divide.
Northern mayors, including Hull and East Yorkshire’s Luke Campbell, who won gold in the bantamweight at the London 2012 Olympics, have written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calling for a commitment for any future UK Olympic bid to be based in the North.
Recent moves by the International Olympic Committee to opt for multi-city and region-wide Games have helped fuel excitement of a potential bid by the campaigners.
The group of 11 political leaders want 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.”
They hope to replicate the success of London 2012, which acted as the catalyst for the regeneration of East London and created thousands of jobs. London also played host to the Games in 1908 and 1948. In the letter, ‘The Great North’, which is chaired by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, also asks the Government to work with them and support proportionate feasibility and preparatory work.
The mayors point to the region’s track record of hosting global events, from the Manchester Commonwealth Games, to large-scale major culture events, including Hull UK City of Culture in 2017 and Bradford in 2025.
Mr Campbell said 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.”
Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run, said he “wholeheartedly” agreed with the ambition as it “is about more than an Olympic bid – it’s about delivering a fairer distribution of major international sporting events across the country”.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said: “Staging events on home soil captures imaginations, encourages participation and boosts local economies.
"Any future decision to bid for an Olympic Games would be a matter for the British Olympic Association, and we will continue to work closely with our expert arm’s-length body UK Sport to identify opportunities that will strengthen the UK’s major events pipeline."
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, of which North East mayor Kim McGuinness is chairwoman.
She said: “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.”