Hamburg Pulls out of Running to Host 2024 Olympics Due to Referendum Votes

Hamburg has been forced to withdraw its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games after residents of the German city voted against it in a referendum.

Officials of the Hamburg 2024 bid team formally submitted the city’s bid to host the Games to the IOC in October and was due to go up against Rome, Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest.

The referendum saw 51.6% of residents vote no, arguing that the money could be better spent.

The city will pull out of the running with immediate effect.

Hamburg’s mayor Olaf Scholz expressed his disappointment with the result of the referendum. “That’s a decision that we didn’t want, but it’s clear,” he said.

The announcement was made by Hamburg 2024 officials via their Twitter feed which said:“A crucial day is coming to an end – 48.3% ‘Yes’ votes in Hamburg are not enough to stay in the bidding process for the Games 2024.”

This is the second time a German city has pulled out of the bidding process to host a Games, after a similar vote saw Munich opt out of bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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