Rome's bid to host the 2024 summer Olympics was dealt a fatal blow Wednesday after the city's mayor, Virginia Raggi, said she would not give her formal backing.

Giovanni Malago, the president of Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI), said last week the committee would abandon its bid to host the Games in the event Raggi refused to give her backing.

In an emphatic speech in front of bid supporters, opposition and media in Rome on Wednesday, Raggi was unequivocal about her position.

"This is our position: it is irresponsible to say yes to this candidature," she told a packed media conference.
"We are effectively asking the people of Rome and of Italy to shoulder the debts (accrued by hosting the Games). We just don't support it.

"Sport was an integral part of our electoral campaign, but we don't want it to be used as a pretext to a building spree around the city."