Sadiq Khan outlines plan for London to host ‘brilliant’ and ‘very cheap’ Olympics

Sadiq Khan wants London to bid for the 2040 Olympics and insists the capital can host the Games ‘brilliantly’ and ‘very cheaply’.

London 2012 proved to be a monumental success and Khan, Mayor of London since 2016, is determined to bring the Games back to the English capital.

If successful, London would become the first city to host the Olympics four times.

In an interview with The Times, Khan set out his plan to make London the ‘sporting capital of the world’ and highlighted the economic benefits of staging major sport events.

A new report published by the Mayor of London’s office says £230m was generated for the capital after London staged six high-profile events last year, including the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Khan intends to join forces with British Athletics and UK Sport to submit a proposal to host the World Athletics Championship in 2029.

England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales has already been confirmed as hosts for Euro 2028, while the 2035 Women’s World Cup will also land on these shores.

But Khan has said he will hold meetings with the government ‘in the near future’ to discuss a bid for London to host the 2040 Olympics.

‘I was in Paris last summer [for the 2024 Olympics] and I saw the transformation of their city,’ Khan said.

‘But 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. 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.’

Discussing the report produced by the Mayor’s office, Khan added: ‘I’m somebody who loves sport, and I see the benefit of watching it.

‘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. What this report does is quantify the economic dividend we receive

‘I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times.

‘I’ll be meeting the secretary in the near future. I’ll be raising this in a constructive way. The government, not unreasonably, is obsessed with growth.

‘This report confirms that sport can bring huge dividends to our country; the soft power of London on a global stage. And it also brings joy and inspires the next generation.’

The London 2012 Olympic Games cost a total of £8.77 billion – three times the original budget of £2.4 billion.

More than two-thirds of the UK public said the staggering cost of hosting the Olympics was worth the money, according to a ComRes poll.

In a poll conducted in 2013 – less than a year after the London Games – 74% said they would welcome the Olympics back to Britain.

Last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris reportedly cost almost £7 billion, making it the sixth most expensive in history.

Los Angeles is set to host the next Olympics in 2028 before the biggest sporting event in the world heads to Brisbane in 2032.

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