ROME — Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says Paris is Rome’s main rival for the 2024 Olympics.
As well as Paris, Rome is competing against Los Angeles and Budapest, Hungary. The IOC will select the host city in September 2017.
Renzi says on Tuesday “we know, the rival is Paris, but I believe in us.”
The premier says “I think all the conditions are in place” to win the bid.
Rome is trying to bring the Olympics back to the Italian capital for the first time since 1960.
The German port city of Hamburg withdrew its 2024 bid last month after it was defeated in a referendum. Boston dropped out in August amid a lack of public and political support, and was replaced by Los Angeles.
Renzi says “we haven’t won anything yet but some of our rivals have already pulled out.”
He adds: “Last year the problem was Boston and now it’s not there anymore.”
