Budapest Olympic Bid Backed by City Council

The Budapest City Council has strongly voted in favour of backing a bid by the city to host the 2024 Olympic Games. Budapest are one step closer to officially launching a bid which will see them go up against already confirmed candidate cities Boston, Paris, Rome, and Hamburg. 

Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos said Tuesday that "Budapest can only be a winner" because hosting the Olympics would speed up the city's development.

The city council voted 25-1 in favor of the proposal, with one abstention. The Hungarian Olympic Committee voted in favor of a bid on June 10.

Tarlos said he had been skeptical about bidding but was persuaded by the IOC's "Olympic Agenda 2020" reforms,which emphasize the use of existing venues and lower spending.