US Olympic Committee: Boston ends 2024 Olympic bid

Boston ended its troubled bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics on Monday, the US Olympic Committee confirmed, saying it had not won enough public support to be successful against rival cities.

USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun and Boston 2024 bid leader Steve Pagliuca announced the decision in a joint statement.

"We have not been able to get a majority of the citizens of Boston to support hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games," Blackmun said.

"Therefore, the USOC does not think that the level of support enjoyed by Boston's bid would allow it to prevail over great bids from Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Budapest or Toronto," he added.

The move came after a series of high-ranking public officials refused to give full backing to the bid citing concerns over finances.

Boston had been named the candidate choice back in January, defeating offers from Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

USOC's statement said it would continue to study whether an alternative American city would be chosen to run for 2024, aiming to make a decision "later in August."
Source: AFP