THE North-East could be in line for a slice of an Olympic windfall if a bid to bring the games to Britain is successful.
Sunderland's Stadium of Light is in the running to be one of the football venues if an attempt by London to win the 2012 games is successful.
The 48,300-seat venue opened in 1997 and the following year received the accolade "best stadium in Britain" by Total Football magazine. Capacity is expected to rise to about 54,000 within two years.
Sunderland, along with Anfield in Liverpool, Celtic Park in Glasgow the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Old Trafford in Manchester and Villa Park in Birmingham are believed to be front-runners with the British Olympic Association.
The association is in talks with the Greater London Authority and the Government about an Olympic bid.
The 2012 games would be the most likely target, with Athens the venue for 2004 and Beijing likely for 2008.
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