Elite athletes hope to bring Olympic Games to the North of England

Some of the world's most iconic cities have hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Paris, Sydney, London, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro to name a few.

Now a group of British Olympians and Paralympians have backed a potential bid to bring the biggest sporting event to the North of England in the 2040s.

Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny, who are the most highly decorated Olympic athletes, have signed a joint statement in support of bringing the Games back to the UK for the first time since London 2012.

Fellow cyclist and Paralympic legend Dame Sarah Storey is also one of the names hoping to bring the Games to multiple cities across the North of England.

Olympic bronze medal winning gymnast Beth Tweddle and 2012 Olympic boxing champion, now Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell put their names to the bid too.

Current athletes have also backed the campaign including 21-year-old para swimmer Poppy Maskill, who won three golds, two silvers and broke a world record at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.

In their statement, the athletes say a northern-hosted Games would be "a moment of renewal and confidence for the entire United Kingdom" and the region "has the ability to host a box-office Games".

It reads: "As Olympians, Paralympians, athletes and competitors who have had the honour of representing Great Britain and competing on the highest stage, we write to express our strong and united support for the north of England to host a future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"The legacy of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics showed what is possible when the country comes together behind a shared ambition. Now is the moment to build on that legacy.

"Many of us have seen first-hand that the north of England has the ability to host a box-office Games: world-class venues, experienced event hosts and a passion for sport like no other place."

In February, a group of northern political leaders, including former Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, urged the current government to ensure any future Olympic bid would be based in the region.

Hosting an Olympic Games is a huge undertaking. It costs a LOT of money.

Paris 2024 was estimated to have cost around six billion Euros, paid for by French tax payers.

Therefore governments and local leaders have to work out how much they are willing to spend on hosting an event of this scale and if it will be worth the money.

Last month, ministers asked UK Sport, which provides resources and funding for many elite British athletes, to look further into whether a northern Games would be possible.

They will look at the potential cost of staging the event as well as how much money hosting the Games would bring back to the region.

What do you think of the idea of the Olympics and Paralympics being hosted in Northern England? Let us know in the comments.