SPORTS

2024 Olympic bids down to Paris, L.A. as Budapest withdraws

Pablo Gorondi The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, March 1, 2017 7:07AM EST

An aircraft of Wizz Air airlines painted in the colours of the logo of host city candidate Budapest for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is displayed in Terminal 1 of the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary,on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)

Text:

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Budapest's assembly has approved a motion to withdraw the city's bid for the 2024 Olympics.

Wednesday's decision leaves Los Angeles and Paris as the only remaining candidates. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September.

Budapest's decision to withdraw came after a new political group appeared to have successfully gathered enough signatures to force a city-wide referendum on the bid. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government said the change of heart by opposition politicians who earlier supported the bid had shattered consensus on the issue.

Political analysts said holding the referendum and keeping the issue on the agenda for months did not favour Orban's plans to seek a fourth term in elections scheduled for April 2018.