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Hamburg Drops Bid For '24 Games After Regional Vote, Leaving Just Four Finalists

Voters rejected Hamburg's bid to host the '24 Games in a regional referendum yesterday, leaving only L.A., Paris, Rome and Budapest in the running to host the event. With all votes counted in Hamburg and nearby Kiel, 51.6% of voters said no and 48.4% said yes, according to the bid committee and public broadcaster NDR. Approximately 650,000 people, or about 50% of the region's population, participated. Polls published prior to the vote showed majority support for the bid, and a bid committee spokesperson said she was confident just four days earlier. Bid Committee CEO Nikolas Hill blamed external factors for suppressing support, specifically the Paris terrorist attacks, explosive allegations that German soccer officials bribed FIFA to win the '06 World Cup and the Syrian refugee crisis. "None of these topics I would see have a direct connection to the Olympic agenda," Hill said. "But it still irritates and determines for people whether they should be in support or not." IOC President Thomas Bach said the organization "respects the close vote by the citizens of Hamburg" and added, "We regret the decision which should be seen in the light of the very particular and difficult circumstances the referendum was held in. This is a missed opportunity for Hamburg and Germany." The vote is another political loss for the IOC, which saw several desirable cities back out of the '22 Games campaign due to local opposition. Munich voters stymied a '22 bid almost exactly two years ago. Earlier this year, the USOC backed away from Boston as its choice in the '24 race after opinion polls showed clear majority opposition. The IOC last December implemented Agenda 2020, a package of reforms meant to make bidding more affordable, and to encourage austerity and sustainability. Hill yesterday said the Olympics movement should still pursue those reforms on their own merits even if it did not convince local voters. None of the other four bid cities in the '24 race have plans for a voter referendum.

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