Olympians join mayors to back northern Olympic bid

Mayors from across the north of England have met to discuss the possibility of a northern Olympic bid.

The event at Sheffield's Olympic Legacy Park was hosted by South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard and North East mayor Kim McGuinness as the first formal step in exploring the idea.

In May, the government said they would carry out an assessment ahead of a potential bid for the Olympics and Paralympics to be held in the north in the 2040s.

More than 40 Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes, including cycling's Dame Laura Kenny, Sir Jason Kenny, Dame Sarah Storey and Tom Pidcock MBE have all signed a joint statement "to express our strong and united support" for the idea.

Coppard said they were all "banging the drum" for a bid.

"It's time that the Olympics and Paralympics came to the north. It's incredibly exciting."

His co-host McGuinness, who also chairs the pan-regional group The Great North designed to attract investment, said the support of athletes for a northern bid was "hugely significant".

She said the games would be "a global showcase" and leave a legacy of "prosperity, unity and renewal".

"This growing movement of support shows the strength of feeling behind the idea and the opportunity it presents for the whole country."

Joining Coppard and McGuinness were the mayors of West and North Yorkshire and Reform UK's Luke Campbell, who is mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.

The former Olympic boxer said a bid would have the potential to inspire the younger generation whatever their background.

"I've come from nothing and sport is the land of opportunities, it really is," he said.

"I think this is a great opportunity. I really don't see any downsides to this."

Campbell said seeing mayors from across the north coming together with "one strong voice" backing the idea despite their political differences was "very important"

The mayors were also joined by former UK Sports Minister Richard Caborn, founder of the Great North Run Sir Brendan Foster, and former Olympian and broadcaster Steve Cram.

Olympic cyclist Tom Pidcock, from Leeds, said he really believed in what sport could do for people and of a northern Olympics, he said he would "love for it to happen".

Paralympic cyclist and swimmer, Dame Sarah Storey, from Manchester, said it was "hugely exciting for the entirety of the north of England".

She said its "legacy" would bring huge opportunity "to really sort of lean into what sport brings to a place".

West Yorkshire's mayor Tracy Brabin said it had been "amazing" to meet with Olympians and Paralympians to discuss how a bid could be developed.

"Coming together to talk about how we're going to work together, collaborate and co-operate to deliver a really credible bid for the Olympics in 2040 was fantastic."

Though she acknowledged there was "an awful lot of work before we get there" with an audit of the facilities, opportunities and transport already available in the north.

UK Sport is examining the potential cost of staging the event for the first time since London 2012, as well as socio-economic benefit and any bid's chance of success.

Any final decision on if and when a future bid might take place would be for the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North