UK government discusses hosting Olympics in 2040s

The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics cost £8.8bn to host [Getty Images]

The UK government says it is in "discussions about supporting potential bids" for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.

It added that "initial work examining whether the UK could host the Games for the first time since London 2012 will assess key factors such as potential cost, socio-economic benefit and [the] chance of success".

Ministers say they are also considering whether to support bids to stage golf's Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s.

The last time the two team competitions were staged in the UK was in 2014 and 2019 respectively, both at Gleneagles in Scotland.

In recent months there has been growing momentum behind a possible attempt to bring the Olympics back to the UK for a fourth time.

Last year London mayor Sadiq Khan said he wanted the city to bid for the 2040 Games.

With Los Angeles in the US and Brisbane, Australia hosting the 2028 and 2032 Games respectively, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is yet to choose cities to stage the events in 2036 and beyond.

In December, the chair of funding agency UK Sport told BBC Sport a bid "has to be an aspiration", suggesting Liverpool and Manchester could be co-hosts.

In February, a group of political leaders urged the government to ensure any future bid would be based in the north of England, saying there was a "compelling" case for it to host the event.

The Ryder Cup takes place every two years with 24 of the best players from Europe and the USA going head-to-head over three days in matchplay competition. The two continents take it in turns to host the event.

In March, it was revealed that Bolton is bidding to host the Ryder Cup in 2035. If successful it would be the first time in more than 30 years that the event is staged in England.

Last year England Golf urged the government to underwrite its bid to stage the Solheim Cup - a contest between the leading female golfers of Europe and the US - in the country for the first time.

As part of a new 'sporting events framework', the government says it will look to make it a criminal offence to resell tickets for specific major sporting events without authorisation such as Euro 2028, claiming it "will make it easier to bid for, secure and deliver major sporting events".

England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are hosting Euro 2028, while the UK is the sole bidder to host the 2035 Women's World Cup.

In November, the government announced legislation to outlaw the sale of tickets to sports events at inflated prices - but it did not apply to football.