Sadiq Khan: London would ‘knock it out the park’ as 2040 Olympic host
Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has thrown his weight behind a London bid to host the 2040 Olympic Games.
A report published on Monday found the staging of six major sports events in London last year – including football’s Champions League final – generated £230m for the city.
Khan says he believes that positive economic impact should drive an ambition to make London the sporting capital of the world – including the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 15 years’ time.
“I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times,” he 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 last hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. If UK Sport bids to stage the Games again it could face competition from Saudi Arabia, which is keen to host the event for the first time in either 2036 or 2040.
Having the Games again in 2040 would cap a golden period for the UK and Ireland which would include hosting the men’s football Euros in 2028 and the Women’s World Cup in 2035.
The latter still requires the approval of Fifa Congress next year, but president Gianni Infantino confirmed earlier this month that a bid from the four UK nations was the only “valid” one received for the tournament.
Includes reporting by PA