(ATR) Could 2024 Olympic events take place in the Vatican City? One cardinal says yes.
"It seems like a good idea, and I think the pope would approve," Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins told media outlets earlier this week.
"The church has always seen sport as a way of promoting healthy values."
"There's ample space at Castel Gandolfo, which at the moment is rarely used," Martins added.
The National Olympic Committee of Italy (CONI) will have a special opportunity to present their bid on Friday.
A statement on CONI’s website says the committee will head to St. Peter’s Basilica for a special Mass on Dec. 19 to end CONI’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Papa Francesco, as Pope Francis is known in Italian, will speak at the end of the mass.
During their Dec. 18 meeting, CONI’s executive board approved the Rome 2024 Olympic bid. On Dec. 15, the Italy Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced Rome would make a bid for the 2024 Olympics.
On Dec. 16, the U.S. Olympic Committee said it would bid for the Games, but must finish evaluating which city - Boston; Los Angeles; San Francisco or Washington, D.C. - will be the U.S. applicant city.
Bids are expected from several other countries including France, Germany and others.
The IOC will select a host at its 2017 Session in Lima, Peru.
Written by Ed Hula III
Homepage photo: Getty Images.
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