Olympic hero Sir Ben Ainslie has publicly supported Andy Burnham's controversial plan to bring the Olympic Games to North West England. Ainslie, the most decorated sailor in Olympic history with five medals including four golds, was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and believes the region deserves consideration for hosting the Games.
Burnham's Vision for a North West Olympics
Andy Burnham, who takes office as Prime Minister on Monday after serving as Greater Manchester mayor, has long championed the North West. As a sports enthusiast, he has promoted the idea of hosting the Olympics outside London, which has been the primary host for all three previous UK Games, including London 2012.
Speaking exclusively to Express Sport ahead of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, Ainslie said: "Always. London 2012 was just the best sporting experience I've ever had, and just seeing what it meant to the British public. It was one of those really special moments in our history, and certainly sporting history, so any opportunity to have the Olympics back in Britain would be incredible."
Ainslie's Endorsement and Olympic Experience
On Burnham's plan, Ainslie added: "There's obviously been a big push in recent times, and Andy Burnham's really been at the front of that, pushing for us to think more about the North of England, and that's a very fair point, and very credible argument, and I think, why not? Why couldn't we have the Olympics in Manchester, or the North of England?"
Ainslie reflected on his own Olympic journey, starting with the Atlanta 1996 Games where sailing was held in Savannah. "I didn't go to the opening ceremony, sadly, because it was too close to competition. But I went to the closing ceremony and just to meet so many famous athletes; I remember meeting Linford Christie, just being blown away. And also, the scale. All of the different athletes, different countries, different sports. It was just an incredible opportunity."
He described the biggest challenge of his career: "The biggest challenge I had in my Olympic career was probably London 2012, where for a number of reasons, I wasn't at full fitness, and I wasn't sailing that well. But I managed to hang in there and it went down to the wire in the final race for the gold medal. I've had some high-pressure moments in my career, but that was right up there."
Upcoming SailGP in Portsmouth
Despite approaching his 50th birthday, Ainslie remains competitive and shared his excitement for the upcoming Portsmouth SailGP: "I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season. Looking forward to the Portsmouth SailGP coming up and the opportunity to race in front of the home crowd. We saw some massive crowds last year, which was the first time we raced in SailGP in Portsmouth. So, if we could win that in front of that home crowd, that would be massive, and then, building on that for the rest of the season, looking ahead to the final, and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year."
The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix returns to Portsmouth on 25-26 July. Tickets are on sale now at Tickets.SailGP.com/Portsmouth.
