Portugal Colonial - London mayor Sadiq Khan targets Olympic history for city

The ambition of Khan, who has been mayor since 2016, is for the British city to become the "sporting capital of the world".

He believes a successful bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships could be a launchpad for a repeat of the 2012 London Olympics, which were deemed a huge success.

London and Paris have hosted the Summer Games three times while Los Angeles will host it for a third time in 2028.

Brisbane will stage the Games in 2032 while the 2036 Olympics could be heading to India or the Middle East, meaning the 2040 Games are seen as the most realistic target for a return to London.

"I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times," Khan said in an interview in the Times on Monday.

"And if we have the World Championships in 2029, it means in the lead-up there's energy, enthusiasm and investment in track and field, which means you will have the future Mo Farahs, the future Paula Radcliffes," he said referring to two high-profile former British runners.

Khan said he was impressed by the Paris Olympics but that London could make even greater use of its existing facilities.

"I was in Paris last summer and I saw the transformation of their city," Khan said. "But we could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome.

"And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub."

He added: "The reason why 2040 makes sense for London is because we could do it in a brilliant way but also very cheaply."

A report on Monday found the staging of six major sports events in London last year, including football's Champions League final, generated £230 million ($308 million) for the city and attracted almost 500,000 sports fans.

The Times said the British government had yet to guarantee £45 million in financial support required to submit a formal expression of interest to World Athletics.

London last hosted the event in 2017.

N.Esteves--PC