Rome sends bid letter to officially become candidate for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics

Rome has signed its letter to bid for the 2024 Olympics ©Rome 2024

Rome has officially become a candidate city for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics after sending its bid letter today – and is seeking to host a Games which will see "beauty and culture sit alongside innovation and sustainability".

Luca di Montezemolo, the Rome 2024 President, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) President Giovanni Malago and the Mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino signed the letter, which will be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the headquarters of the Italian capital's City Council.

Meanwhile, the Rome Municipal Government has selected a site for their proposed Olympic Village, which is touted for near the main campus of the University of Rome at Tor Vergata in the south-west of the city.

After the Games, the facility would be developed into student accommodation as part of efforts to leave a lasting legacy, it is promised.

Rome's letter states the city's goal to host "a sporting celebration which will emphasise Rome’s unique cultural history at the same time as harnessing the power of the Games to help forge a more modern, dynamic identity for Rome and the whole of Italy."

CONI President Giovanni Malago and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announce Rome's candidacy to host the 2024 Olympic Games — CONI President Giovanni Malago and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced Rome's candidacy to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in December ©Getty Images

The city hopes that its heritage of art, history and culture will "present athletes with the chance to live the Olympic spirit surrounded by breathtaking historic locations, competing and practicing their disciplines in the most iconic settings of the Eternal City that have fascinated the world for centuries."

Organisers are also aiming to ensure that from the beginning, every initiative and project will have an immediate impact and a lasting legacy for the city and the country, in line with the IOC's Agenda 2020 document.

Rome's letter also claims that most of the infrastructure for 2024 is already in place, so upgrades and renovations to existing facilities will form the bulk of their efforts.

Many of the existing venues were used when the city hosted the Olympics in 1960.

The letter also made reference to Rome's "Olympic values" – claiming the capital is a multicultural city "where diversity becomes the backbone of equality".

Rome's letter follows that of Hamburg, which sent off its application earlier this week.

Los Angeles, Budapest and Paris are also in the running to host the Games.

The IOC are due to choose a host city at its Session in Lima in 2017.