Chancellor John Healey is expected to announce a £7m investment in Wednesday’s Budget to fund a detailed feasibility study into a potential “Northern Games” bid. The initiative aims to evaluate the practicalities of bringing the Olympics to northern England during the 2040s. It could see the games held in the North in the 2040s, if successful.
This move follows the UK’s last experience hosting the event in London in 2012. While a 2013 report by the UK Trade and Investment department estimated the London Games generated an economic boost of £9.9bn, those figures were met with a degree of scepticism at the time.
The study will serve as a foundational step in determining whether a northern regional bid is viable for future Olympic cycles. Team GB at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
