As Walsh's aide, Rull oversaw six city departments, including property and construction management, intergovernmental relations and labour relations and played a key role in the implementation of the city's improvement agenda.

"Joe has an unmatched understanding of Boston and the needs of the neighbourhoods and I am confident that his experience will serve as a great asset for Boston 2024," Walsh said.

"In addition to hosting the greatest athletes in the world and inspiring another generation of kids to be active, the Games presents an opportunity to improve our housing opportunities, transportation system and general infrastructure in ways that will benefit the city for decades after the Games occur.

"Joe has done amazing work for the city already and I know he will continue to serve our residents well in this new role."

Rull, who also worked as director of legislative affairs at the state's Division of Capital Asset Management and director of special projects at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labour and Workforce, is due to start in his new job on Monday (February 9).

Meanwhile, Walsh's chief of staff Daniel Koh will take over from Rull in his city position on an interim basis until a replacement is found.

Joseph Rull served as chief of operations and administration for Boston Mayor Martin J Walsh ©Boston 2024/Facebook


"Being part of the effort to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Boston is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am very excited to join the team," Rull, who travelled to London to study how that city managed the Olympics in September last year, said.

"I look forward to tapping my knowledge of the city and its neighbourhoods to showcase our community on an international level and serve the needs of the region."

Boston 2024 bid chairman John Fish said he is glad to have Rull on board.

"I'm thrilled Joe has agreed to join our effort to welcome the world in 2024, advance the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and leave a social and economic legacy that makes our region an even more spectacular place to live, work and play," he added.

Boston was revealed as the official United States contender for the 2024 Games last month, ahead of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC.

If the bid were successful, it would mark the first Summer Olympics in the US since Atlanta 1996, and the first of any sort since the Winter Games at Salt Lake City in 2002.

However, Boston will have to fend off competition from Rome, which is the only other confirmed candidate to have so far entered the race, and either Berlin or Hamburg, Paris, Budapest, Istanbul, Doha and Baku, which are also potential bids.

South Africa is also potentially preparing a nationwide bid in what would be an Olympic first.

The 2024 host nation is set to be announced at the International Olympic Committee Session in Lima in September 2017.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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