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IOC wants another U.S. bid city for 2024 Games after Boston drops out

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he wants the United States to pick "the most appropriate city" for a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics after Boston dropped out of the running.
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International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he wants the United States and its Olympic officials to pick "the most appropriate city" for a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics after Boston dropped out of the running.

On Monday, Boston and the U.S. Olympic Committee announced the end of the city’s campaign to host the games after months of local opposition and concern about how it would be funded.

"For the IOC this was always about an American bid put forward by the United States Olympic Committee,'" Bach said in a statement. "This invitation phase is also an opportunity to determine which city will eventually be chosen by an NOC. We are confident thatUSOCwill choose the most appropriate city for a strong U.S. bid."

IOC vice president Craig Reedie said it was a “shame” that a city like Boston was selected for a potential bid and then is incapable of completing the process.

"Personally, I hope the United States do find another candidate and produce another applicant city for 2024," Reedie said.

Other cities that want to join the bidding process must submit applications to the IOC by Sept. 15. Baku (Azerbaijan), Istanbul (Turkey) and Doha (Qatar) have previously expressed interest in hosting the games, while Budapest, Hamburg, Germany, Paris, Toronto, and Rome have already announced their intentions to bid on the Games.

• MORE: Toronto will bid for 2024 Olympics; joins 5 others

A final decision will be made by the IOC during a congress in Lima, Peru, on Sept. 15, 2017.

USOC officials believe there is time to put forth a bid before the deadline. New York failed in its attempt to secure the 2012 Olympics, which was awarded to London, and Chicago was eliminated quickly when it bid on next summer’s Olympics, to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

Los Angeles, which hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, could enter the bid. No U.S. city has hosted the Summer Olympics since Atlanta in 1996.

"They won't have to build temporary stadiums, which is expensive," Reedie said. "It could be the third-time lucky for LA; it was third-time lucky for London."

- Scooby Axson