Boris Johnson cools on London bid for £1bn Commonwealth Games

 
Pippa Crerar24 October 2013

Boris Johnson's support for London hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games has cooled amid concerns over the £1 billion cost.

The Mayor is understood to have lost his previous enthusiasm for a bid after concluding the capital could not afford to stage the event.

Commonwealth Games England has the final say over whether to submit a bid but is unlikely to proceed without the Mayor’s backing.

One City Hall source told the Standard: “Boris has been thinking about it. It’s true there would be pretty significant costs involved.

“It’s fair to say that it’s now less likely, rather than more likely because of the big cost implication.”

Instead, London plans to focus on staging major events such as the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and the World Athletics Championships in 2017. England last staged the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002, while the next edition will be held in Glasgow next year. The baton relay leading to the Games was launched by the Queen earlier this month.

Olympic legacy bosses said in March they were “thinking hard” about making a bid for the event following the success of London 2012.

But the Commonwealth Games do not have the same global reach as the Olympic Games.

A spokesman for the Mayor’s office said: “It’s not our bid so we haven’t withdrawn our support from anything. All we can do is consider the implications for London.”

A spokesman from the Commonwealth Games Federation said it would not invite expressions of interest in holding the event until next year, with bids being put forward in 2015.

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