Daily Times

KUALA LUMPUR – Themost powerful people inthe Olympic movement have urged the United States to quicklyfind a replacement for Boston and push ahead with plans to bidfor the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The US has not hosted the Summer Olympics since 1996,partly because of a long-running feud over television rights andsponsorship, but was widely regarded as the favourite for 2024.The US Olympic Committee (USOC) initially picked Boston asits candidate but pulled the plug on the bid last week becauseof a lack of support.

With the deadline for applications due in mid-September, thedecision left America racing against time to decide on anotherbidder.IOC President Thomas Bach was quick to tell the US to finda replacement and now Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the highlyinfluential president of the Association of National Committees(ANOC), has joined him in what is a significant endorsement.

“I think everybody in the movement would like to see thefive rings bidding for the games from the US,” SheikhAhmad said at the end of the 128th IOC Session onMonday.”It’s one of our major countries in this movement.”

Regarded as one of the key dealmakers in the IOC, SheikhAhmad has already handed the USOC a golden opportunity to pressits claims for 2024 by agreeing to hold this year’s ANOC generalassembly to Washington DC.