Rome To Compete With Berlin Or Hamburg To Host 2024 Olympic Games

Italy PM Matteo Renzi said that Rome "is set to compete with Berlin or Hamburg to host the 2024 Olympic Games," according to the AFP. Renzi "is expected to make the announcement" at the Italian Olympic Committee on Monday. IOC President Thomas Bach "will welcome bids from January 15 with the deadline on the same date in September." Italy "had withdrawn a bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games, which eventually were awarded to Tokyo earlier this year." Most recently, the country "hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, which were almost 82 percent over budget." Many of the facilities constructed for the event "remain unused." Renzi's proposals "have already met resistance from right-wing leader Matteo Salvini of the Lega Nord party." Salvini said, "We still have the white elephants of the Turin winter Olympics (2006) and we're still paying off debts from the world swimming championships in Rome (2009)." Rome "hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 and the Winter Olympics in 1956 and 2006" (AFP, 12/14).