Rome Mayor-Elect: Olympic Bid "Not a Priority"

(ATR) The newly elected mayor of Rome says "my position has not changed" on whether the city should bid for the 2024 Olympics.

A declared opponent of the Rome bid, Virginia Raggi was elected June 19 representing the Five Star Movement, an anti-establishment party founded by the TV comic Beppe Grillo. Raggi, 37, will be the youngest mayor for Rome when she formally takes office later this month.

In her first interview since the vote, Raggi was unequivocal in her dismissal of a Rome 2024 Olympics.

"Right now it's really not a priority for Romans," she told Simona Volta of euronews.

Raggi mentioned the city’s €13 billion debt is a big reason not to bid, invoking the image of Montréal, the 1968 host city that was left with a legendary debt for its Olympic Stadium. The mayor elect said she was interested in sport for Rome but wants to see the 100+ municipal sports facilities improved rather than building white elephant venues.

In the interview she did not elaborate on any steps she might take once in office regarding the Rome bid. Last year the city government under a previous mayor put its imprimatur on the bid that is now before the IOC. Rome is competing with three other cities for 2024: Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris. The IOC will vote in September 2017 on a finalist.

Presumably Raggi could try to rescind the city support for the bid or call for a referendum to measure public backing for the Olympics in Rome.

Bid leaders in Rome acknowledge they need the support of Mayor Raggi to keep the 2024 campaign alive.

An insider with the bid tells Around the Rings the hope is that Raggi is exercising her new political pull in the capital city and will agree to back the bid after some horse trading -- or a favorable vote in a referendum.

Should neither happen, the bid will likely come to an early end as city government support is essential to a successful campaign. After all it will be the mayor of the city who signs the host city agreement just minutes after the IOC election.

In 2012, just hours before the deadline to submit a bid application to the IOC for the 2020 Games, Prime Minister Mario Monti said the national government could not support a Rome bid. He cited the financial difficulties Italy was facing at that time.

This time Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is the driving force for the bid and the city is the holdout. In her interview with euronews, Raggi said even though Renzi is a political opponent, she is open to finding ways to cooperate. She did not say whether that included the Olympics.

Click here for the euronews interview

Written by Ed Hula.