The Curia upheld a ruling from the National Election Committee, dealing a blow to the pursuit to stage a countrywide vote on the Hungarian capital’s candidacy for the event.

Investigative journalist Katalin Erdelyi, who is spearheading the referendum campaign, was hoping to ask Hungarian citizens a question which was determined to be “misleading and unclear”.

Residents could have been asked: “Do you agree that the Budapest Municipality should withdraw its application to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024?"

Erdelyi had appealed the initial National Election Committee decision after they ruled against her in October.

They voted 9-2 in favour of not holding a nationwide referendum and the journalist’s chances were further hampered after she was forced to abandon an attempt to hold a citywide vote in Budapest.

This decision was made for “multiple reasons”, including the fact that the referendum would give voters a “false impression” that the withdrawal of the law on staging the Olympics would also lead to Budapest 2024’s efforts being scrapped.

The ruling from the Kúria marks the latest setback to referendum campaigners, which represents a positive step for the Bid Committee.

An appeal against the decision not to hold a national referendum is set to be heard in January, Erdelyi claimed last month.

She has also vowed to get a vote on the bid on the table through other legal channels.

The Budapest City Council had turned down a request for a referendum back in December of last year, with a narrow margin of 16 votes to 14 preventing the capital's candidacy being put to the public.

Calls for a referendum on Budapest’s bid for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics have been lingering under the surface throughout the campaign, but the Bid Committee have pointed to strong national support for their effort in a series of polls.

Los Angeles and Paris are also in the running for the 2024 Games, with Rome's effort currently suspended.

German city Hamburg had launched a bid but withdrew after a referendum defeat on November 29, 2015.

The International Olympic Committee will elect its chosen host city at its Session in Lima on September 13.