London yet to fire starting gun on 2040 Olympic bid despite Khan backing
Talk of a London bid to host the 2040 Olympic Games is premature and faces competition from Saudi Arabia, despite the enthusiasm of Mayor Sadiq Khan, City AM understands.
Khan this week reiterated his ambition for the capital to become the first city to host the event four times, saying that it would “knock it out of the park” if chosen by the International Olympic Committee to repeat its role in 2012.
It came as a new study commissioned by City Hall estimated that major sporting events delivered a £230m boost to London’s economy last year.
Any London bid for the Olympic Games would be a joint project involving the British Olympic Association, UK Sport and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, but it is understood that no talks have yet taken place about a bid for 2040.
Another obstacle could be the competition, with Saudi Arabia expected to bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time. It has also considered entering the race for 2036, but there is a belief in bidding circles that India has all but sewn up that edition.
UK Sport has embarked on an ambitious schedule of bidding for major sporting events taking place in the next 15 years. On Sunday, it was confirmed that London is campaigning to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029, 12 years after it last staged the competition.
Before then, the UK and Ireland will host the men’s football European Championship in 2028, while it is also set to get the Women’s World Cup in 2035. This year England is staging the Women’s Rugby World Cup and next year has the European Athletics Championships and, in cricket, the Women’s T20 World Cup. Glasgow will also host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times,” Mayor Khan told The Times. “And if we have the World [Athletics] Championships in 2029, it means in the lead-up there’s energy, enthusiasm and investment in track and field, which means you will have the future Mo Farahs, the future Paula Radcliffes.
“Globally, everyone loves coming to London. And we’ve managed to stage a good event every year in the London Diamond League. I’m in favour of this. I was in Paris last summer and I saw the transformation of their city.
“But we could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome. And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub.”
London’s £230m economic impact from major sporting events last year included the Champions League final at Wembley, international athletics and Major League Baseball at the London Stadium, Formula E at the Excel Centre and three NFL games.