The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday named Budapest, Hamburg in Germany, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome as the final candidates for the 2024 Olympics.
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The winning bid will be announced after a vote by the IOC session in the Peruvian capital Lima in September 2017.
IOC president Thomas Bach said there were five “outstanding cities” in the race for the Games.
“What we see are five really highly qualified candidate cities,” Bach said. He added that the contest for 2024 would be “strong and fascinating.”
I believe that one day, Toronto will be a great venue for the #Olympic Games. But not in 2024. #topoli
— John Tory (@JohnTory) September 15, 2015
The announcement of the five cities was made hours after the midnight Tuesday deadline for bids.
Toronto and the Azerbaijan capital of Baku had considered entering but finally decided against, leaving Los Angeles and Paris as the two early frontrunners. Toronto’s mayor John Tory announced only on Tuesday that the Canadian city would not bid because of financial uncertainties.
Meanwhile, Bach said that Baku – which hosted the inaugural European Games in June – could return and try for the 2028 Games.