October 13 - Palermo wants to host the 2020 Olympics, they announced today, joining Rome and Venice in jostling for the right to win the Italian nomination.

 

The Sicilian city plans to host a press conference in Rome on Thursday to unveil full details of their proposed bid.

 

Venice and Rome registered their interest in staging the Olympics soon after Rio de Janeiro won the race for the 2016 Games earlier this month.

 

Palermo's history stretches back nearly 3,000 years having been founded by the Phoenicians and then part of the Roman Republic and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years.

 

But in recent times Palermo has been more closely associated with the Mafia, whose roots are in the Mediterranean island.

 

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) must decide which will be the nation's candidate city if the Government backs a bid for the Games.

 

CONI President Giovanni Petrucci said this month that "the time is right for an Italian bid".

 

Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics have twice been held in Italy, in Turin in 2006 and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956.

 

 

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