Thursday 29 September 2016 23:55, UK
Birmingham has declared its intention to launch a bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The city has joined Liverpool in aiming to become the first English city to host the Games since Manchester in 2002.
The leader of Birmingham City Council, John Clancy, said: "Birmingham is a fantastic sporting city and we have proven ourselves to be warm, welcoming and friendly hosts to a number of international events in recent years.
"In addition to the huge economic impact, these events showcase the very best of our city and wider region to the world.
"I hope that we get to do that yet again in 2026 and you can be sure the Games would be a huge success in Birmingham."
Birmingham is a regular host of major international sporting events and will stage cricket's ICC Champions Trophy and the World Indoor Athletics Championships in the next two years.
Other cities to have expressed an interest in hosting the 2026 Games include Auckland, Edmonton and Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.
The next Commonwealth Games will be held on Australia's Gold Coast in 2018, while the 2022 Games have been awarded to Durban.
