Ambitions to bring Olympics to North

NORTHERN leaders including Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen want the North to host the Olympics.

- By GRAEME WHITFIELD

Northern mayors Tracy Brabin, Andy Burnham, Oliver Coppard, David Skaith, Kim McGuinness, Ben Houchen and Steve Rotheram at Great Run headquarters with Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster

(NORTH NEWS & PICTURES LTD)

A group of 12 mayors and council leaders - from all four main political parties - have written to the Government setting out how the Olympics could be staged around the North in 2036 or 2040.

The Great North - an initiative set up by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness to tap into the global success of the Great North Run - has written to Culture and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy, asking the Government to say that any future UK Olympic and Paralympic bid should be based in the North. With backing from Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster, they say that there should be a fairer redistribution of major events across the country.

Any Northern bid for the Olympics would have the benefit of being able to use many existing facilities to lower the cost of the event. World class cycling and swimming facilities still exist from the 2002 Commonwealth Games and there are top level football stadia in Newcastle, Sunderland, Manchester and Liverpool. New stadia are also being explored by Newcastle United and Manchester United.

But the major cost of staging the Olympics - which will run to billions of pounds - will also worry many.