UK set to bid for Tour stages, Champions League final

LONDON: Hosting stages of the 2021 Tour de France, another edition of the IAAF World Championships and the 2023 Champions Legaue final are in the sights of British sport’s elite funding agency, UK Sport.

Whilst UK Sport would not confirm the events it is going to bid for, the BBC reported it had seen a ‘hosting targets list’, declaring an intent to host either the 2027 or 2029 athletics showpiece and the 2023 Champions League final, which would mark Wembley’s 100th anniversary.

The government has set aside £30 million (RM166 million) for bids between 2017 and 2025.

According to UK Sport, the events would attract over seven million paying fans and have an economic impact of more than £440 million to host cities and regions.

Britain’s Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said that global sporting bodies could rely on the United Kingdom putting on a great show.

“The UK has an incredible track record of hosting some of the biggest events in sport that help showcase the best of Britain to the world, make a significant contribution to the economy and encourage people to get involved in sport as volunteers and participants,” she said in a statement.

“We want to keep up our standing as a world leader in this area and UK Sport’s ambitious events strategy over the next eight years will help us do just that.”

The UK is already due to hold a host of events in the next four years, including the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 and the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

As well as helping national governing bodies win international bids, UK Sport also uses exchequer and National Lottery money to help meet the costs of staging some large events. AFP