Mayoral candidate opposes Rome's 2024 Olympics bid

ROME (AP) One of the leading candidates for next month's mayoral election has come out against Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympics.

Virginia Raggi of the opposition 5-Star Movement says Rome is ''completely at its knees'' because of severe debts and transport woes and the time to bid for the games is ''far off.''

Raggi says `maybe it would be better to focus on ordinary stuff and then when the city is ready, the Olympics.''

Center-left candidate Roberto Giachetti and center-right representative Giorgia Meloni support the bid.

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi is also a strong supporter of the bid. But he acknowledged Monday that if an anti-games candidate wins, ''we won't be able to host the Olympics anymore.''

The mayoral vote is scheduled for June 5. Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest, Hungary, are also bidding. The IOC will select the host city in September 2017.