Left-Wing Movement Radicali Italiani Calls For Referendum On Rome 2024 Olympics Bid

The "small, left-wing movement Radicali Italiani" is calling for a public referendum on Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympics, according to the AP. The group said, "We believe that such an important decision for the future of the capital must be made by the citizens, and that's why we're asking Premier (Matteo) Renzi and (Rome's extraordinary commissioner Francesco Paolo) Tronca to hold a referendum." Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago and bid chief Luca Cordero di Montezemolo have said that they "do not plan on a referendum but could survey citizens informally." Hamburg withdrew its 2024 bid in November after it was defeated in a referendum. Boston also dropped out last year "amid a lack of public and political support," and was replaced by L.A. Radicali Italiani "cited spiraling costs linked to recent Olympics." Rome's plan calls for a Games budget of $6.5 B or "roughly half" of what London spent in '12 (AP, 1/5).