The city of Boston has received the official United States nomination to host the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. The U.S. Olympic Committee made the announcement on Thursday, picking Boston over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Boston chosen as U.S. Olympic bid city for 2024
Boston has never hosted the Olympics before.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“We’re excited about our plans to submit a bid for the 2024 Games and feel we have an incredibly strong partner in Boston that will work with us to present a compelling bid,” USOC Chairman Larry Probst said in the announcement.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh added, “This selection is in recognition of our city’s talent, diversity and global leadership. Our goal is to host Olympic and Paralympic Games that are innovative, walkable and hospitable to all. Boston hopes to welcome the world’s greatest athletes to one of the world’s great cities.”
The decision was voted on by a 15-person committee that met Thursday afternoon in the Denver airport. Los Angeles, which has hosted the Olympics twice before in 1932 and 1984, was the rumored favorite leading up to the vote.
Boston will now have to wait until 2017 before the International Olympic Committee chooses a host city for the 2024 games.
The last time the United States hosted the Summer Olympics was in 1996 in Atlanta. The U.S. made unsuccessful bids in 2012 (New York City) and 2016 (Chicago), with both cities finishing in fourth place in the IOC’s voting. No bid was made for the 2020 games, which will be held in Tokyo.
With the IOC looking to reduce the cost of hosting the Olympics, Boston’s bid will rely on established sports venues such as TD Garden, Harvard Stadium, Conte Forum and Agganis Arena, per the Boston Globe.
According to NPR, its competition will likely include Rome, Paris, a yet-to-be-named German city and a location in South Africa.
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