Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday
announced that Italy will stage a bid to host the 2024 summer
Olympics.
"We'll run with the spirit of participating of (modern
Olympics father Pierre) de Coubertin," Renzi said during a
ceremony at the headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee
(CONI).
"And we'll run to win, be sure of that".
The premier said that the bid will be centred on Rome.
Recent changes to International Olympic Committee (IOC)
rules make it possible for Olympic host countries to hold events
in several places, rather than concentrating them in one city,
and spread the huge burden.
Renzi said Italy can "go for gold" if it overcomes the
recent resignation that has hit the recession-hit country.
"Too often Italy seems resigned (to defeat)," said Renzi.
"You can lose, but what's unacceptable is to crouch up and
give up on playing the game.
"We have what it takes to go for gold," he added, after
officially making Italy the first country to officially announce
it was running for the 2024 Games.
Rome hosted the 1960 Olympics and carried off a
largely successful edition of the World Swimming Championships
in 2009.
The capital has several positive features to centre a bid
on, including the fact that many of the required sports
facilities are up and running and would only need upgrading.
These include the Stadio Olimpico, the home ground of
Lazio and Roma Serie A football teams, which has a running track
for athletics, and the pool used for the swimming races at the
2009 world championships.
Italy has also hosted the Winter Olympics twice, with
Turin in 2006 and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956.
Rome's bid to host the 2020 Olympics was dropped in
February 2012 by then-premier Mario Monti who said that
Italy, could not afford such an expensive venture due to its
economic situation.
When Renzi suggested in November that the government was
ready to back an Olympic bid, some expressed dismay, saying
little has changed since.
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