London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said his office is “working on a plan” to bring the Olympics and Paralympics back to the capital.
Mr Khan told Sky Sports News the plan focuses on making the “the greenest games ever”, with existing stadiums and structures built for the 2012 Games that could be used again.
He highlighted the recent heatwaves and grass fires as consequences of climate change.
“The great thing about London is you don’t expend carbon on building new stadiums, new places to do cycling, new places to do swimming, because we’ve got all the kit. And so watch this space.
“There’s no pressure from the IOC, the key thing is to make sure we’ve got all the building blocks in place,” he added.
Plans remain at an early stage and any bid would require the support of the Government and the British Olympic Association.
Mr Khan noted that the earliest bid would be for 2036 – with the next three Games already set to be hosted in Paris in 2024, Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
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The IOC usually awards a Games to a host city seven years in advance but they’ve changed the process following criticism of the vast sums of money spent on bids, most notably Russia’s bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged potential bidders to present better environmental plans for any future Games.
“What we need is to make sure future games are green and what we’re doing is working on a plan to have the greenest games ever,” Mr Khan added.
Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has backed the return of the Olympics as a way of uniting the country.
“I just think it was so wonderful for the whole nation, it brought us all together,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think that’s what we need right now, a bit of unity, find a common ground.
“The world is a very different place now to what it was 10 years ago, but let’s be positive and have something to aim for,” he added.
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games costed £8.77bn – more than three times the original budget of £2.4bn.
While some of the 2012 venues were temporary, other venues including the Aquatics Centre and Olympic Stadium are still used for sporting events and are open to the public.
