If London bids for 2040 it must learn from the cool ethos of French playbook

TO PARIS, chapeau. To Los Angeles, best of luck following that. To Brisbane, with the best will in the world, you've got no chance.

- Malik Ouzia

Where the Games go after that is the next major decision on the International Olympic Committee agenda, though not one that is expected for at least another year.

After a run that will have read France-USA-Australia, a move away from Anglo and western European spheres appears nailed on.

Indonesia, India and Egypt are among those to have formally declared an interest, while one of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are bound to host one of these things before long.

London is looking even further down the track, to the 2040 Olympics, which Mayor Sadiq Khan has made no secret of his desire to host.

It is early days for that vision, which still needs government and British Olympic Association backing. Sending the Games back to London after a gap of just 28 years would be atypical, given Paris had to wait a century for the ones just gone. (Beijing, in fairness, got the Winter Olympics in 2022, only 14 years after the summer version).