Olympic officials insist on U.S. bid for 2024 Summer Games

The International Olympic Committee is continuing to pressure the U.S. to submit a replacement for Boston’s failed 2024 Summer Games bid.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, IOC President Thomas Bach said the U.S. Olympic Committee had earlier promised to be part of the bidding cycle.

“We are sure the USOC will deliver on this commitment,” Bach said.

Los Angeles officials hope to fill the vacant slot. The city entered into talks with the USOC this week to step in as the designated American candidate.

That would presumably be just fine with Bach, who has good reason to want a U.S. bid.

Several potential hosts recently dropped out of the running for the 2022 Winter Games, citing concerns about cost. IOC members responded with a reform package that, among other things, seeks to make the Olympics less expensive.

The IOC now hopes to attract a strong field for 2024. Paris, Rome and Hamburg, Germany, have announced their intentions to bid.

But in Boston, a fledgling effort suffered from low public approval all spring and summer. The Boston 2024 committee changed leadership and issued a revamped plan, to no avail.

“Every day there was a new project coming from Boston or new people and new ideas,” Bach said. “So I really gave up following it in detail. But what we could see in a nutshell, what happened there, is quite simply that Boston obviously did not deliver on promises they made to the USOC when they were selected.”

The bid was dropped earlier this week, opening the door for Los Angeles, which finished a close second in last winter’s competition to become the U.S. candidate.

Two other finalists -- San Francisco and Washington D.C. -- were also expected to be contacted. USOC officials said they plan to update the public on their progress later in August.

Meanwhile, IOC members are meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where later this week they will select a host for the 2022 Winter Games.

“We are looking forward to an American bid with another city,” Bach said of 2024. “The United States is one of the few countries in the world who has the luxury of having a number of cities that are capable of organizing the Olympic Games.”

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