Will London host another Olympics after Utah’s 2034 Winter Games?

London wants to be the first city to host an Olympics four times.The United Kingdom capital is poised to bid again after hosting the Summer Games in 1908, 1948 and, most recently, in 2012. Now London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to go after the 2040 Summer Games.

“My ambition has always been for London to be the sporting capital of the world,” Khan recently told The Times, which described his Olympic ambitions “as part of a sports events strategy aimed at raising hundreds of millions for the economy.”He said in the interview he saw Paris transform during the 2024 Summer Games. Utah's Olympic bid timeline “But we could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics center, the stadium, the velodrome.



And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub,” Khan said.Reusing venues built for a previous Olympics ensures not just a greener Games, but also reduces costs.

It’s the same strategy that Utah, site of the 2002 Winter Games, is counting on when the state hosts again in 2034.“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,” London’s mayor told The Times. “But the reason why 2040 makes sense for London is because we could do it in a brilliant way but also very cheaply,” Khan said.

“An Olympics in London wouldn’t cost a fortune, but the benefits would be humongous.”Plenty of competition is emerging to host the 2036 Summer Games, the next to be awarded. Under the International Olympic Committee’s new, less formal bidding process that has no timetables, all of the contenders for future Games will likely be considered together.

It’s been a while since a Summer Games host has been named. In 2017, the IOC made a dual award of the 2024 Summer Games to Paris and the 2028 Summer Games to Los Angeles. And Brisbane was selected back in 2021 to host the 2032 Summer Games.

What more than $3 billion in federal funding would do to make LA’s 2028 Summer Games ‘car free’Possible 2036 bidders include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Hungary, Nusantara in Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, South Africa, Egypt, Germany and North Jeolla, South Korea, according to GamesBids.com, which points out “any that are unsuccessful could spill into a 2040 run.”With a new president, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, the IOC is seen as wanting to send the Olympics someplace new, such as the Middle East or Africa.

India, the world’s most populous country, has also never hosted an Olympics. A columnist for The Guardian, Sean Ingle, questioned the value of London hosting again on Monday, suggesting there’s little chance that would happen any time soon. Citing unnamed insiders, Ingle said the favorites are India for 2036 and Saudi Arabia for 2040.

“Quietly, they concede, 2044 or even 2048 is more realistic” for London, he wrote.But now is the time for London to be looking at a bid, according to Fraser Bullock, the leader of Utah’s successful bid to host another Olympics and now president and executive chair of the 2034 Winter Games organizing committee.“Given the long-range bidding strategies that are now in place, it’s never too early to be looking for the proper timing for another opportunity to host,” he said, adding, “Whenever they bid, they will always be viewed as a strong candidate because of their track record.

”The 2036 host will be a partner with Utah’s next Olympics since the sponsorships that are key to funding the event are sold in quadrennials, four-year periods that include both a Winter Games and a Summer Games.“You always want great host cities. It makes it more attractive for potential sponsors,” Bullock said, describing London as “an iconic city, a crossroads of the world” that “did a tremendous job in 2012.

”After all, he said, “who can forget James Bond and the queen?" The reference is to the late Queen Elizabeth II appearing to have parachuted in to the Opening Ceremonies from a helicopter with Agent 007 actor Daniel Craig. “London is a great candidate because they’ve hosted before,” Bullock said. “They know what they’re doing.

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