Olympics bid: Portsmouth faces snub as government unveil 2040s Olympics plan for north of England

Plans for the Olympics to return to the UK would see Portsmouth fall by the wayside.

This weekend the government revealed that a bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the north of England in the 2040s is in the initial assessment phase.

UK Sport has been commissioned to conduct the assessment, considering costs, the socio-economic benefits and the chances of success.

If successful, it would be the first Olympic Games to be held in Great Britain since London 2012. But these plans, concentrated on the north of England, would mean cities like Portsmouth would play no part in proceedings.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world.

“But while the north of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create and the world-class events we attract - for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the north.

“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came north and we showed what we can offer to the world.”

Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, is disappointed that our city is evidently not included in the plans - despite the sporting heritage that goes hand-in-hand with certain events.

For decades, boat racing has had a home in Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent waters; Fratton Park might not be quite the size of Old Trafford, but could easily facilitate some of the footballing events.

Cllr Pitt said: “The opportunity that immediately springs to mind is with sailing. We’ve held the Ocean Race, Clipper Race and SailGP just last year.

“Portsmouth has a reputation for hosting high-quality international events. Yes, it would be great to have the Olympics back in the UK, but it doesn’t have to all be in one place. We would certainly like to be in the mix.

“Much like the City of Culture bid, the Olympics can have a national impact. Thinking back to the London Olympics, there were events held outside of the city, and I’d like to think it could be the same with this bid for the 2040s.”