Reports: Budapest drops 2024 Olympic bid, leaving Los Angeles and Paris

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.

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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.

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