Boston will no longer contend to host the 2024 Olympics.
Early Monday, Mayor Marty Walsh announced he would not sign a contract that would leave Boston taxpayers responsible for excess costs to host the Olympics until he had a better understanding of the proposed budget of hosting the events.
In a statement, Boston 2024 Chair Steve Pagliuca said, "Today after consulting with Mayor Walsh and Governor Baker, Boston 2024 and the United States Olympic Committee have made a joint decision to withdraw Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
By Monday afternoon, it was announced that Boston would no longer pursue hosting the Olympics. The potential to host the games was unpopular among Boston residents.
This was reflected in a statement by USOC CEO Scott Blackmun:
Notwithstanding the promise of the original vision for the bid, and the soundness of the plan developed under Steve Pagliuca, we have not been able to get a majority of the citizens of Boston to support hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Therefore, the USOC does not think that the level of support enjoyed by Boston's bid would allow it to prevail over great bids from Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Budapest or Toronto.
Despite the loss of Boston's bid, the USOC asserts that it would "would very much like to see an American city host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024."
Los Angeles, a runner-up in the USOC's decision in January, could be the new bid selection.