The UK government is exploring bidding to host an Olympic Games in the north of England in the 2040s.
Government ministers have commissioned the UK Sport body to investigate how viable such a bid would be – this analysis will take in the costs, the potential benefits for the region involved, and how likely it is that the bid would be successful.
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The UK has not hosted an Olympic Games since 2012, when the capital of London put on that event, as well as the Paralympics.
Before then, London hosted games in 1908 and 1948 – outside the capital, no other region of the UK has staged an Olympics. Manchester failed with bids for both the 1996 and 2000 games.
Rachel Reeves, chancellor of the UK, has commented: "Britain's sporting prowess is recognised and respected around the world. It's something we are determined to capitalise on to breathe life into our communities and build a stronger and more secure economy.
"That's why we're throwing our full support behind bringing the games back home, which will boost our 'Northern Growth Corridor.'"
However, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London (and from the same Labour political party as the current government), has already advocated for his city staging the games once again in 2040.
Based on the findings of the UK Sport study, a decision will be made as to whether or not a more in-depth 'technical feasibility study' should be commissioned.
The British Olympic Association will have the final say over whether to proceed with an Olympic hosting bid or not.
Los Angeles will host the Olympics in 2028, with Brisbane in Australia set to stage the 2032 games. Confirmed bidders for 2036, meanwhile, include India's Ahmedabad, Doha in Qatar, Turkey's Istanbul, and a combination of Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, in South Africa.
The South African submission could potentially shift to 2040, while Munich in Germany is also likely to submit a bid for those games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet unveiled a timeline for selecting the host country or countries for the 2036 edition.
In terms of major sporting events already set to take place in the UK in the coming years, men's soccer's 2028 UEFA European Championships will be staged across England, Wales, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland. Soccer's 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup will also be held in the UK, which is the only bidder.
Cricket's T20 Women's World Cup, the multi-sport Commonwealth Games (Glasgow), and the European Athletics Championships (Birmingham), meanwhile, will all take place there over the coming months.
