Sadiq Khan wants London to host the 2040 Olympic Games as he emphasised his desire to make the city “the sporting capital of the world”.
It comes after the Mayor of London’s office published a report outlining the economic boost of hosting major sporting matches or meets. The staging of six events last year, including the Champions League final and NFL matches, generated £230million.
Khan now wants London to become the first city to host the Olympics four times, having last done so in 2012, and is also backing a proposal for the World Athletics Championship in 2029. It is estimated that those Championships could be worth £400m to the city.
The mayor believes it would help find “the future Mo Farahs and Paula Radcliffes” and provide a “springboard” for the bid to bring the Olympics back to London in 2040.
“We could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome,” Khan said in an interview with The Times.
“And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub.
“When it comes to major sports events, the public and governments are not unreasonably nervous about a huge amount of money being spent on infrastructure. But the reason why 2040 makes sense for London is because we could do it in a brilliant way but also very cheaply.
“An Olympics in London wouldn’t cost a fortune, but the benefits would be humongous.”
The 2024 Major Sports Events Impact Report also revealed that hosting American sports in London, such as regular-season NFL and MLB games, has brought three million fans to the city since 2007 and been responsible for spectator spend of more than £600m.
London will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup final this year, while Wembley will be a key venue for Euro 2028 and the UK is the sole bidder for the 2035 Women’s World Cup.
“I’m somebody who loves sport, and I see the benefit of watching it,” Khan said. “But what I thought we’d do is commission a report to work out the economic impact sport has.
“My ambition has always been for London to be the sporting capital of the world, and then to consolidate our position. Whether it’s boxing, the NFL, Major League Baseball; we’re talking to the NBA about bringing basketball to London. I think it’s so important.
“But what this report does is quantify the economic dividend we receive.”
