The U.S. Olympic Committee will immediately explore whether another city can replace Boston as a possible host. The International Olympic Committee set a deadline of Sept. 15 for Olympic committees to submit their candidates.

The USOC and Boston 2024 organizing committee made the joint decision to withdraw the bid on Monday after consulting with Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. Boston had been selected by the USOC in January over Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles, which hosted the games in 1932 and 1984.

"Boston 2024 has expressed confidence that, with more time, they could generate the public support necessary to win the bid and deliver a great games,” USOC Chief Executive Scott Blackmun said in a statement. "They also recognize, however, that we are out of time if the USOC is going to be able to consider a bid from another city. As a result, we have reached a mutual agreement to withdraw Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games.”

Bostonians have been divided on the merits of becoming an Olympic host since the city was chosen. Local opposition has grown on concern taxpayers will be burdened with the cost of staging the event. The percentage of people in Boston who oppose the bid has risen to 53 percent from 33 percent in January, website Inside the Games reported Monday.

Cities interested

Other cities to have declared they will bid for the 2024 Games are Budapest, Hamburg, Paris and Rome. Azerbaijan capital city Baku and Toronto are also considering bidding, Inside the Games said.

"As we reflected on the timing and the status of our bid in this international competition, we have jointly come to the conclusion that the extensive efforts required in Boston at this stage of the bid process would detract from the U.S.’s ability to compete against strong interest from cities like Rome, Paris, Budapest and Hamburg,” Boston 2024 Partnership Chairman Steve Pagliuca said in a statement.

Walsh said Monday he wouldn’t sign the host city contract or any deal "that puts one dollar of taxpayer money on the line for one penny of overruns on the Olympics.”

"I refuse to mortgage the future of the city away,” Walsh told reporters. "I refuse to put Boston on the hook for overruns, and I refuse to commit to signing a guarantee that uses taxpayers’ dollars to pay for the Olympics.”

‘Rightly hesitant’

In a statement after the USOC’s decision, Walsh said Boston residents were "rightly hesitant” to be supportive of the Olympics. While there were potential long-term benefits, Walsh said none were so great that it was "worth handing over the financial future of our city.”

The USOC may now back Los Angeles as a possible 2024 host city, Inside the Games reported. The U.S. hasn’t hosted a Summer Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta.

"We understand the reality of the timeline that is before us,” Blackmun said. "We will brief the media on our progress toward a decision later in August, and we will not have any public statements on the subject of a possible bid until then.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement that he hasn’t yet had any talks with the USOC.

"Los Angeles is the ideal Olympic city,” Garcetti said. "I would be happy to engage in discussions with the USOC about how to present the strongest and most fiscally responsible bid on behalf of our city and nation.”

 

(Bloomberg)