The London 2012 chairman said in an interview published in the Manchester Evening News today: "You have any number of facilities that most Londoners would give their right arms for.

 

"I talk as a proud Northerner, if you like, because Sheffield was my home town.

 

"One thing I know is that Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool have had sports strategies and facilities they have built which are 30 years ahead of what we have in London."

 

Coe praised Manchester's aquatics centre, velodrome and the City of Manchester Stadium, which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

 

He said: "We have used the Olympic Games as a catalyst to support those very, very hard-pressed communities in London that have not had the benefit of facilities cities in the North have had.

"Here in London we don't have swimming facilities worthy of the name.

 

"We don't have international track and field facilities.

 

"We don't have world-class cycling facilities.

 

"That's for a population of nine million people.

"What we are striving for in London many of our great Northern cities have been very familiar with for more than 30 years."

The full article can be read at http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1049116_city_leads_the_way_in_sport?rss=yes?rss=yes.