Bidding for the 2036 Summer Olympics is open, and a mayoral-led collaboration – ‘The Great North’ – want any future UK-based Games to take place in Northern England
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is one of 11 political leaders calling for any future UK-based Summer Olympic Games to be in Northern England. London 2012 gold medalist Luke Campbell, who is now mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, is also supporting the call.
Great North Run founder and former Olympic long-distance runner Sir Brendan Foster is another ex-athlete joining the politicians. A mayoral-led collaboration called ‘The Great North’ has written to Lisa Nandy, the culture, media and sport secretary.
Nandy was in Italy this weekend for the Winter Olympics. And Northern leaders now want any future summer Games in England.
READ MORE: IOC breaks silence to defend JD Vance and USA after brutal booing at Winter OlympicsREAD MORE: Lindsey Vonn disagrees with doctor over horror knee injury claim at Winter Olympics
As reported in The Sunday Times, their letter reads: “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 claims: “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.”
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
The Times also quotes a source behind the bid. They said: “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.”
Kim McGuinness, the mayor of the North East, is the 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 has also said: “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 shares a similar sentiment after recalling that London 2012 “brought the country together”. The former bantamweight boxer said: “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 won bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, believes, “It’s time the north stops getting the crumbs, and gets the cake instead.” Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard claims: “The north can put on a show, we can take on the world’s biggest cultural festival and make a success of it.”
Watch Winter Olympics 2026 live on discovery+
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games is running from February 6-22 and fans can enjoy more than 850 hours of action live on discovery+ via Prime Video.
Throughout the games, the £3.99 discovery+ Entertainment subscription will provide access to TNT Sports 2, the home of 24/7 Olympic coverage.
