(ATR) CONI president Giovanni Malago is not in the best of spirits after the withdrawal of the Candidature of Rome for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Malago claims Rome 2024 spent around $14 million in unrecoverable expenses in an effort to secure their place in the bid.
"The alternative was to continue the application regardless of the municipality. But we have discarded. We arrived at the end of the race," Malago said in an interview with Radio 24.
IOC President Thomas Bach recently wrote to Malago thanking the committee for their efforts and insuring him the bid withdrawal would not affect the relationship between Italy and the IOC.
The decision to withdraw was made by Rome mayor Virginia Raggi and approved by a vote from Rome's city council.
Raggi believed hosting the Games would be "irresponsible" and would lead to further financial debt.
The remaining bid cities are Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris. The IOC is to announce the 2024 host city in September of 2017.
2017 Tour de France to Traverse Future Olympic Venues
The official route for the 2017 Tour de France has been unveiled.
The biggest cycling race in the world will pass through future Olympic venues if in fact, Paris wins the bid.
The race will begin in the city of Duesseldorf, Germany. The final stages of the tour will see the cyclists holding a time trial that ends at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, the host of the Olympic football matches.
Cyclists will also cross through the Grand Palais – the future fencing/taekwondo venue - during the final stage around Paris.
"The idea is to offer a contribution to the candidacy of Paris 2024", said the director of the Tour de France Christian Prudhomme.
The Tour de France will take place from July 1-23, 2017, ending about two months before the IOC will announce the host of the 2024 Games.
Budapest hosts World Chess Festival
Budapest teamed up with the Polgar Judit Chess foundation to host the 10th World Chess Festival.
Chess fans from around the globe were welcomed to the Castle Garden Bazaar which would be the site of the road cycling competition should Budapest become the host city of the 2024 Games.
Under the theme "Chess connects us" fans could watch live broadcasts of matches that were held at more than 100 other events in 80 countries to coincide with the Budapest event.
Olympians such as champion canoeist Istvan Vaskuti and 5-time kayaking champion Danuta Kozak were in attendance.
Founder of the foundation, chess grandmaster Judit Polgar, is one of the 24 "Guardians of the Bid’ helping to support and advise the Budapest Olympic bid.
Written by Courtney Colquitt
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