Horwich town councillors have expressed their approval of the proposed Spirit of Sport sculpture.
The £250,000 sculpture will be 85ft high and internally illuminated.
At a meeting of Horwich Town Council on Thursday, Cllr John Cronnolley said: "This could be better than the Angel of the North. It's an excellent idea, a very good piece of public art and I support it 100 per cent."
Cllr Steve Rock said that the sculpture, which would be mounted on the De Havilland Way roundabout, Middlebrook, would be "quite a feature".
But he said he was worried that the reflective material it will be made of could be off-putting for drivers.
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