Olympic Games: Major for Manchester

LADY THATCHER could in her absence do for Manchester what she would not do as prime minister - secure the Olympic Games for the city. Bob Scott, the chairman of the Manchester 2000 committee, certainly thinks so.

'Lady Thatcher's view of sport is that it is what the great unwashed do on a Saturday afternoon,' he told a news conference yesterday. 'We now have a prime minister who understands and loves sport and therefore there is a totally different atmosphere.'

Scott believes that Manchester's second bid for the Games stands a much greater chance of success. The International Olympic Committee is allowing the eight cities bidding to make one- hour presentations in Barcelona, and John Major will visit the Games to back Manchester's bid.