After seven months of failing to get Bostonians interested in hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Committee has decided not to go with Boston as the pick to host the games.
The final nail in the coffin came earlier Monday when Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced that he could no longer commit to signing the host city contract, which states that the city would have to agree to pay for any cost overruns. That means that taxpayers would have to fit the bill.
“If committing to signing a guarantee today is what’s required to move forward, then Boston is no longer pursuing the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Walsh, who had previously been a strong supporter of the bid, said, reports Boston.com.
Boston 2024, the group organizing and planning the bid, said that had an insurance policy ready that would make sure that the city wouldn’t have to pay if the budget didn’t cover everything needed. However, Walsh said that he was not convinced, but did say that he still hoped Boston could host the games.
But without the mayor’s complete support, the USOC has decided to not go with Boston as a host city, a source told The Associated Press.
Boston was picked in January, beating out Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If the USOC still wants to submit a U.S. city for consideration for the 2024 games, Los Angeles would probably be the pick.
Los Angeles previously hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics.
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