London Mayor Boris Johnson wants Olympic Games again
London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Thursday there was "an unanswerable case" for the city to host the Games again, but pledged he would do his duty and hand 2016 hosts Rio de Janeiro the Olympic flag.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Thursday there was "an unanswerable case" for the city to host the Games again, but pledged he would do his duty and hand 2016 hosts Rio de Janeiro the Olympic flag.
Johnson said that after the Olympics an "endless series of global sporting events" were coming to London "and quite rightly".
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup, the 2017 World Athletics Championships and the 2019 cricket World Cup are all being held in Britain.
"Why not the Olympics again?
"We have made an unanswerable case for - within the next 20 years - to have them again."
However, Johnson said he would hand over the Olympic flag to Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes at the closing ceremony on Sunday as tradition dictates.
"I have no intention of retaining the flag," he joked.
"I will follow protocol and the flag will be handed over in the proper way, as indeed we would love to hand over anything else you want.
"If you want to buy the basketball court, be our guest."
It has been suggested that London's temporary Basketball Arena could be sold to 2016 hosts Rio de Janeiro and become a travelling Olympics venue.
"I'm also sure that we have all sorts of things where you'd get very keen prices, not least a wealth of experience," Johnson added.