Sadiq Khan has said that he would aim to bring WrestleMania, Superbowl and NBA to London and put together another winning bid for the Olympics in 2040. The Mayor of London – who is seeking re-election on May 2 – also announced today a ‘new boost’ into grassroots sport and underrepresented communities via City Hall’s £20 million Go! London fund.
Mr Khan says he would plan to ‘fully cement London’s reputation as the undisputed sports capital of the world’ by pledging to bid for more ‘high-profile’ events in the city if he came out on top during the mayoral election. This would include establishing a ‘taskforce’ to ‘explore’ bringing more sports from North America and around the world to London – including the first international WrestleMania.
The mayor’s team says that last year’s event, which was held in Los Angeles, had a $215 million economic impact for the wider area, and the combined impact of the 2016 to 2023 events was $1.2 billion. In his manifesto, Mr Khan has also committed to exploring a bid for another London Olympics and Paralympics in 2040, and to campaigning to bring the NBA – the US’s National Basketball Association – to the capital.
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In addition, he has pledged to ‘encourage’ more Londoners from ‘under-served communities’ to participate in sport through the Go! London fund, which was launched last year. The scheme awards grants of up to £40,000 to community groups for young people. and as much as £150,000 for organisations to scale up projects for ‘underserved young Londoners’ through sport.
Promise to restore Crystal Palace sporting facilities ‘to former glory’
Mr Khan has also promised today to restore the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre ‘to its former glory’ and turn it into Britain’s first zero-carbon major sports centre. This includes working with partners to deliver the restoration of Crystal Palace athletics stadium.
Residents told MyLondon last year that the facilities are a ‘joke’ and looks like they are ‘rotting away’. The area’s athletics venue has fallen into disrepair since national athletic events were moved to the new Olympic Stadium in the east of the capital in 2012.
The mayor said: “London is a world leader in major sports events and has been at the heart of some of the most memorable sporting moments of the last few decades. From the Olympics, to the Lionesses winning the Euros at Wembley, to the Ashes at Lord’s and The Oval, London is where it’s at.
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“If I’m re-elected on 2 May, I’m determined to go even further and fully cement London’s reputation as the undisputed sports capital of the world. I believe that London has the potential to host the first international WrestleMania.
“In the meantime, my message to anyone travelling to the Paris Olympics this summer is to include a visit to London in your itinerary, to enjoy all that our city has to offer.”
A spokesperson for Mr Khan’s Tory rival, Susan Hall, told MyLondon: “Sadiq will say anything to distract from his litany of failures as mayor, and his plans to bring in pay-per-mile. He doesn’t deserve another four years. His poor performance over the last eight have proven that.”
Mr Khan has said that a pay-per-mile scheme is ‘off the table’ as long as he is mayor. This is despite the mayor telling MyLondon in March 2023: “The ultimate destination is a smart road user charging scheme in London.”
Read our exclusive sit-down interview with Sadiq Khan ahead of the London mayoral electio
Read our full exclusive interview with the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, ahead of May 2 here. You can also read MyLondon’s interview with the Tory candidate, Susan Hall, here.
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Femy Amin, Animal Welfare Party – People, Animals, Environment
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Count Binface, independent
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Rob Blackie, Liberal Democrats
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Natalie Campbell, independent
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Howard Cox, Reform UK – London Deserves Better
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Amy Gallagher, Social Democratic Party
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Zoë Garbett, The Green Party
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Tarun Ghulati, independent
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Susan Hall, The Conservative Party
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Sadiq Khan, Labour Party
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Andreas Michli, independent
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Brian Rose, London Real Party – Transform London
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Nick Scanlon, Britain First – No To Immigration
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