5 cities set to be in running for 2024 Olympics

LONDON – With Toronto deciding against a last-minute bid, five cities are set to be in contention for the 2024 Olympics when the race opens officially today, pitting four European cities against a two-time host from the United States.

The International Olympic Committee’s final deadline for submission of bids comes at midnight Tuesday in Switzerland, setting the stage for a two-year campaign that features bids from three former Olympic host cities – Los Angeles, Paris and Rome.

Barring any late entry by the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, which appears unlikely, IOC president Thomas Bach will officially announce a five-city field rounded out by Hamburg, Germany, and Budapest.

All five cities have sent in letters to the IOC declaring their bid applications. Today, the IOC will release the host city contract and other documents setting out the bid process, which has been changed to eliminate the cut-down phase and ensure that all candidates go to the final vote in Lima, Peru, in September 2017.

The IOC has been determined to present a healthy number of bids and a strong field for 2024 following the troubled race for the 2022 Winter Games, which was left with only two candidates after four pulled out for financial or political reasons. Beijing defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the IOC vote in July.

Los Angeles, which hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, and Paris, which staged the games in 1900 and 1924, shape up as early front-runners.

Los Angeles stepped in as the U.S. candidate after Boston’s bid collapsed in July.