BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary’s government announced on Wednesday it would withdraw Budapest’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, citing a lack of political and national unity behind the application that it blamed on the opposition.

A leader of political movement Momentum Andras Fekete-Gyor holds one of the boxes consisting over 266,000 signatures from Budapest voters who want a referendum on Budapest's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics in Budapest, Hungary February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

Bidding alongside powerhouses Los Angeles and Paris, Budapest had been considered a long-shot candidate, pinning its hopes on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Agenda 2020 initiative.

Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos had suggested the city might quit the race after local opponents of the bid last week submitted a quarter of a million signatures in a petition demanding a local referendum in Budapest on the issue.

“For Budapest and Hungary the Olympics is a national issue,” the government said in a resolution published on national news agency MTI.

“In recent months, the earlier unity has broken down and the issue of the Olympics has turned from a national issue into a party issue. Opposition parties are responsible for this, those who backtracked on their earlier decision (to back the bid).”

Wednesday’s decision was made at a meeting between Tarlos, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the chairman of the Hungarian Olympic committee.

The IOC said it would await official notification from the national Olympic committee of the country, the only authority which can officially withdraw a bid.

The Hungarian government’s decision, however, is a further blow to the Olympic bid process with Boston, Hamburg and Rome having pulled out of a race that has now been left with just two cities.

The IOC voted in a string of reforms, named Agenda 2020, two years ago in the hope of making the Games more affordable and attractive for potential host cities.

Earlier on Wednesday, Tarlos, who only began to support the bid after Agenda 2020 promised to make hosting the Olympics more affordable, had urged a fast resolution of the issue.

“I never insisted on the Olympics,” he told the city council. “There is no point dragging out this process like strudel dough.”

The United States’ Olympic Committee and the Olympic organizers in Los Angeles were not immediately available to comment on the Hungarian decision.

SENTIMENT HAS TURNED

According to a survey published on Wednesday by pollster

Median, half of Hungarians wanted Budapest to withdraw its

bid, with only a third supporting it nationally. In Budapest, 56 percent of voters were against the bid.

Sentiment changed as a group of young professionals and students collected more than a quarter of a million signatures in a month to press for a referendum on the Olympic bid.

FILE PHOTO: The Hungarian Parliament is seen with the Olympic logo at a promotional spot as the Hungarian capital bids for the 2024 Olympic Games, in central Budapest, Hungary, January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh/File Picture

Their Momentum movement has burst on to Hungary’s political scene to challenge Orban’s government and opposition parties a year before elections in 2018.

No opposition group has had such an impact on a major issue since Orban rose to power in 2010. In targeting the Olympics, Momentum has challenged an event seen as being of symbolic importance to the prime minister.

Momentum spokesman Gergo Papp told local website Index.hu that the government had backtracked on the bid “in a cowardly manner”, saying they had taken away a chance for the people to vote on the project.</s>Los Angeles is now one of two cities bidding for the 2024 Olympics after reports that Budapest has dropped out of the bid.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Hungary pulled the bid, and Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs confirmed the withdrawal to The Associated Press. That leaves L.A. and Paris as the final two cities contending to host the Games. The International Olympic Committee is set to select a host on Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

Budapest faced the prospect of a referendum after a group called Momentum gathered enough signatures to force one.

Rome pulled out of the bidding for the Games in October. Hamburg withdrew its bid in late 2015 after residents of the German city voted against it.

Los Angeles was tapped to replace Boston in August 2015 after the U.S. Olympic Committee’s bid city faced vocal opposition and a lack of political support.

Budapest’s departure follows in line with many other cities opting out of bidding for the Games. In the past two cycles, the IOC has seen twice as many cities (eight) drop out of the bidding process as have remained.

The IOC selected Beijing over Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the host of the 2022 Olympics.

In an effort to reduce the cost of bidding and hosting the Games, the IOC has introduced Agenda 2020 reforms that apply fully for the first time to cities bidding for 2024.

IOC president Thomas Bach has said he is open to awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympics simultaneously in September. In December, he expressed concerned about a candidature process that produces “too many losers.”

For their part, L.A. 2024 and the U.S. Olympic Committee have said they’re focused on winning the bid for 2024.</s>Los Angeles is now one of two cities bidding for the 2024 Olympics after reports that Budapest has dropped out of the bid.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Hungary pulled the bid, leaving L.A. and Paris as the final two cities contending to host the Games. The International Olympic Committee is set to select a host on Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

Budapest faced the prospect of a referendum after a group called Momentum gathered enough signatures to force one.

Rome pulled out of the bidding for the Games in October. Hamburg withdrew its bid in late 2015 after residents of the German city voted against it.

Los Angeles was tapped to replace Boston in August 2015 after the U.S. Olympic Committee’s bid city faced vocal opposition and a lack of political support.</s>Budapest follows Rome and Hamburg to withdraw, leaving Paris and Los Angeles in the running to host

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Budapest on Wednesday became the latest city to drop out of the race to host the 2024 Olympic Games, after a petition garnered enough signatures to force a referendum on their bid.

"As the necessary unity in Budapest has been lost, the bid has lost all of its chances," the government of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced in a statement posted on its website.

"That is why the government of Hungary proposes to withdraw the candidacy from the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Budapest."

The Hungarian capital's decision leaves the battle to stage the 2024 Games between Paris and Los Angeles.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is due to reveal the winner on September 13.

Hamburg - following a referendum - and Rome had already pull out of the contest to succeed 2020 hosts Tokyo, both citing financial concerns.

Budapest's move was announced after the sports-mad Orban, a big champion of the bid, held talks with Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos and the Hungarian Olympic Committee on Wednesday evening.

"Budapest will formally ask the city council to withdraw Hungary's candidacy in agreement with the government," Tarlos was quoted as saying by the MTI news agency after the meeting.

The mayor had previously said he could not "ignore the will of the people" in light of the referendum push.

Hungary's bid was dealt a fatal blow after a group of young activists collected over a quarter million signatures of Budapesters within a month to hold a vote on the bid.

The Momentum Movement (MoMo) announced last Friday that it had garnered some 266,000 signatures, almost double the threshold required to trigger a ballot.

Within 24 hours, the Hungarian firm in charge of organising the event suspended its operations while awaiting a decision.

The so-called "Nolimpia" drive had been aided by several opposition parties critical of Orban, prompting the government on Wednesday to accuse them of turning the matter "into a political party affair".

The strongman had backed the bid, launched in 2015, as a reward for his country's rich Olympic record: only nine countries have won more medals in the history of the Games.

Supporters said that Budapest, which unlike Paris or Los Angeles has never hosted the Games, was more suited than its rivals to the IOC's low-cost 'Agenda 2020' strategy.

But critics, fearing spiralling costs and corruption, said taxpayers should decide how their money is being spent.

Recent polls also showed clear majorities in favor of withdrawing the bid.

Opponents had tried several times to force a referendum on the issue but were blocked by either city hall or the supreme court.

"The people should have been asked two years ago exactly to avoid such a situation," said MoMo leader Andras Fekete-Gyor.

Budapest's city council, which holds a majority of Fidesz MPs, now needs to approve the bid's withdrawal.

"I am sorry to see a dream dissolve," the chief of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Zsolt Borkai, said at a council meeting earlier Wednesday.

When questioned by AFP, Paris-2024 choose not to comment on the development from the Hungarian capital. – Rappler.com</s>Budapest has become the latest city to bow out of contention to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, leaving Los Angeles and Paris as the only candidates bidding to stage the Games.

The Hungarian city joined Rome and Hamburg in exiting the 2024 race after lukewarm public support doomed the bid. According to local media outlets, the official reasoning behind the pullout was the potential "loss of prestige" the city would suffer if its underdog bid didn't emerge as the winner.

According to Reuters, a poll released earlier Wednesday showed 56 percent of Budapest voters opposed a bid, while only a third of all Hungarians supported it.

The city's withdrawal followed a troubling recent trend for the Olympic movement, which has seen increasing reluctance from governments to follow through on the lengthy and expensive bidding and hosting process.

Bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics came down to just two finalists in 2015, Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, after Oslo dropped out months before the Games were eventually awarded to the Chinese city.

And of course Los Angeles is only in the mix for 2024 because the United States Olympic Committee's initial choice to bid for that summer's Games, Boston, pulled out in the face of heavy public opposition.

While Budapest's withdrawal should solidify support for a Paris Games among the European voting bloc, geographic diversity could work in Los Angeles' favor. European cities have hosted two Summer and two Winter Olympics since the last U.S.-based Games, Salt Lake 2002, and IOC president Thomas Bach has consistently encouraged a U.S. bid after the country stayed out of the running for the 2020 Summer Games.

Los Angeles has already hosted the Games twice, in 1932 and 1984.

The host country for 2024 will be announced at the IOC meetings in Lima, Peru, on Sept. 13.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary– It’s down to Los Angeles and Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Budapest decided to withdraw its bid to host the games this afternoon.

The decision was made to avoid “a loss of international prestige” for Hungary, according to the Associated Press. Hungary’s bid reportedly had a very small chance of success.

The remaining two candidate cities will be up for an IOC vote to determine the host in September.

Previously, Hamburg (Germany) and Rome (Italy) withdrew their 2024 Olympic bids. The last time only two cities were finalists for a Summer Olympics was back in 1988, when it was down to Seoul (Korea) and Nagoya (Japan.) The 2022 Winter Games also came down to two cities: Beijing (China) and Almaty (Kazakhstan.)

Los Angeles and Paris are bidding to host the games for a record-tying third time. Only London (England) has done that. L.A. previously hosted in 1932 and 1984, while Paris hosted in 1900 and 1924.

The United States hasn’t hosted a Summer Games since 1996 (when it was in Atlanta, Georgia) and a Winter Games since 2002 (when it was in Salt Lake City, Utah.)</s>LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Budapest is withdrawing its bid to to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris to compete for the games, according to reports.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs confirmed the decision to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The decision awaits approval by the Budapest City Assembly.

Hungary’s governing party said the decision was an attempt to avoid “a loss of international prestige” if Budapest were to be passed over by the Olympic committee in favor of Los Angeles or Paris.

The party said it perceived Budapest’s chances of winning the bid to be quite small.

The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September.</s>Budapest withdrew its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, reducing the competition to a two-city race between Los Angeles and Paris and handing an already embattled International Olympic Committee another embarrassing setback.

Wednesday’s announcement came as no surprise following weeks of growing opposition to the bid. The withdrawal came just days after opposition to Hungary’s Olympic campaign submitted more than 266,000 petition signatures to force a referendum on the bid. A poll released earlier Wednesday showed that 56 percent of Budapest voters and two-thirds of Hungarian voters opposed the bid.

“I never insisted on the Olympics,” Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos said. “There is no point dragging out this process like strudel dough.”

Budapest became the third city to withdraw its bid for the 2024 Games.

The IOC will vote to select the 2024 host city Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

The U.S. Olympic Committee pulled Boston’s bid in July 2015 amid mounting public opposition and questions about the city and state’s financial and political commitment. Hamburg, Germany’s pursuit of the games ended in November 2015 when 51.6 percent of local voters rejected the bid in a referendum.

Rome withdrew this past September after Mayor Virginia Raggi announced she was opposed to the bid, saying hosting the games would be “irresponsible.”

“It is irresponsible to say yes to these Olympics,” Raggi said. “In light of the data we have, these Olympics are not sustainable. They will bring only debt.”

Earlier, Toronto, host of the 2015 Pan American Games, decided against launching a bid for the 2024 Games.

The Budapest decision is another major setback for IOC President Thomas Bach, who had hoped the organization’s Agenda 2020 reforms would make Olympic bidding more appealing and less financially daunting for cities.

Instead, eight cities have now pulled out bids for the last two available Olympic Games. Oslo, Norway, a heavy favorite to win the 2022 Winter Games, pulled its bid, with public support for the games sinking to 24 percent in some polls and local officials complaining about IOC demands. Stockholm’s 2022 bid lasted just two months; Lviv, Ukraine’s bid only seventh months. Krakow, Poland’s 2022 bid ended after 70 percent of voters rejected it in a referendum.

Voters also rejected Munich’s 2022 bid before it was even launched.

All of which left the IOC to choose between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the 2022 host, the Chinese city winning the 2015 election.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Budapest will withdraw its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris in the race.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs confirmed the withdrawal to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The joint decision by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos and the Hungarian Olympic Committee will be formally voted on by the Budapest City Assembly, where Orban's governing Fidesz party has a comfortable majority.

The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September.

Fidesz officials said the decision was made to avoid a loss of prestige for Hungary.

"When the opposition attacked the Budapest bid in the back, it disrupted this unity (of support for the bid) and minimalized the chances of the capital city," Fidesz parliamentary leader Lajos Kosa said in a statement. "Today only one responsible decision is possible to avoid Hungary's loss of international prestige."

The bid was expected to face a city-wide referendum promoted by the Momentum Movement, a new political party, which in 30 days gathered more than 266,000 signatures in favor of holding a vote. The referendum drive also drew the support of some other opposition parties.

Several earlier attempts to hold national or Budapest referendums on the Olympics were either blocked by the courts or abandoned.

Earlier Wednesday, officials were already hinting at a withdrawal as a drawn out referendum campaign and faltering popular support for the Olympics were seen as hurting Orban's party in next year's parliamentary elections.

Bid chairman Balazs Furjes said it made no sense to continue the effort unless widespread political support was restored, describing Budapest's bid as a "lame duck" in the current political climate.

Budapest has "never been as close as now to obtaining the Olympics ... but now it seems there won't be a good outcome," Furjes told the city assembly.

Zsolt Borkai, chairman of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, said the opposition parties had turned against the bid because of their own political interests.

"Now, near the finish line, they are destroying the dream which they earlier supported," Borkai claimed.

Furjes gave several reasons why he thought Budapest had a good chance of winning its bid. These included the city being seen as a model for the IOC's "Agenda 2020" reforms to streamline events and cut costs and the fact that both Los Angeles and Paris have each already hosted the Summer Olympics twice.

Opponents of the bid have highlighted concerns about the environment, corruption risks and overspending.</s>Budapest will withdraw its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris in the race.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs confirmed the withdrawal to the Associated Press on Wednesday. The joint decision by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos and the Hungarian Olympic Committee will be formally voted on by the Budapest City Assembly.

Fidesz, the governing party, said the decision was made to avoid “a loss of international prestige” for Hungary, saying the bid had a very small chance of success.

The bid was expected to face a citywide referendum promoted by a new political party, which gathered more than 266,000 signatures in favor of holding the vote.

The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to choose the 2024 host city in September.
Budapest withdraws its bid, leaving Paris and Los Angeles as the two candidate cities for hosting the 2024 competition.