President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach. AP
LAUSANNE, Switzerland— International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says Boston will be a “strong” contender to host the 2024 Summer Games.
The U.S. Olympic Committee selected Boston as its bid candidate on Thursday, choosing the Massachusetts city ahead of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.
Bach says in a statement Friday “the Boston bid will be a strong one.”
He adds that “Bostonians are well known for their enthusiasm for sport and the city has a great heritage in sport, science and education.”
The U.S. hasn’t hosted the Summer Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta. New York failed in a bid for the 2012 Games, and Chicago was rejected for 2016.
Bach says Boston’s bid “has the great potential to build on the strength of the athletes from the US Olympic Team.”
Boston joins Rome as the only other city that has officially decided to bid.