Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is one of 11 political leaders in The Great North mayoral-led collaboration calling for an Olympic Games across Northern England
Andy Burnham wants any future UK-hosted Summer Olympic Games to happen across Northern England.
The mayor of Greater Manchester believes another London bid “wouldn’t be fair or right”. Burnham is one of 11 political leaders, alongside London 2012 gold medallist and current Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, backing the proposal.
Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run and former Olympic long-distance runner, is another ex-athlete supporting the politicians’ cause. A mayoral-led initiative named ‘The Great North’ has penned a letter to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who was in Italy this weekend for the Winter Olympics.
Northern leaders are now expressing their desire for any future Summer Games to be outside the capital. The Sunday Times claims their letter says: “A northern-based Olympic Games is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate regeneration, rebalance the economy, and reset international perceptions of England.”
It continues: “This is also a question of fairness and credibility. If the UK is serious about rebalancing growth, a Games hosted in and across the north would send a clear signal – domestically and internationally – that opportunity, ambition and national pride are shared.”
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The Times also cites a source involved in the bid, who stated: “It’s time that people stop thinking about the north as a post-industrial bleak landscape. It’s not.
“It’s full of vibrant, amazing cities, and beautiful settings and landscapes, which could be used to host the biggest sports event on earth and showcase the north of England to the world.”
North East mayor Kim McGuinness is chair of The Great North. She said: “The North of England has a sporting history and prowess like no other place, and we are united in our belief that our region could host a box office, world-leading Olympic Games.”
Burnham also commented: “A lot of work and thought has gone into this, and it feels very of the moment. There has been some suggestion that the country was looking at another London bid, but that wouldn’t be fair or right.
“And that’s nothing against the capital. It hosted an unforgettable Olympics, and I look back at it quite wistfully, actually, remembering what the country used to be like and how much it has changed.
“It’s about recapturing that for the north of England, that vibrancy and positivity. That’s what Britain needs right now. If you set this ambition, the north will rise to it in the most breathtaking way.”
Campbell holds a similar view, recalling how London 2012 “brought the country together”. The former bantamweight boxer stated: “Everything in this country is so focused on London, but England isn’t just about red buses and telephone boxes; this is our chance to show us off to the world.”
Foster, who secured bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, agrees. He said: “It’s time the north stops getting the crumbs and gets the cake instead.”
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard also also backing the move. He claims: “The north can put on a show, we can take on the world’s biggest cultural festival and make a success of it.”
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