It emerged earlier this month that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was "seriously assessing the viability of an Olympic and Paralympics bid for New York City", and was setting up an advisory committee to discuss a potential campaign.

But the support from de Blasio, elected Mayor on November 5 last year, always seemed less certain after he spoke of the large number of "other priorities" his administration was facing. 

This doubt has now been confirmed after Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, told the Wall Street Journal the Mayor had decided against launching a bid after weighing the pros and cons of hosting the event.

Glen said the Mayor, along with other top officials at City Hall and several agency heads, recently reviewed the possibility of a bid and rejected it because it "doesn't make sense".

She added top officials also feared an Olympic bid would distract from the Mayor's economic-development agenda, while there is little benefit from a promotional perspective because "very few people would say that New York City is not 'on the map' and is not a major global city".

A fresh decision will be taken in four years time over whether the city should bid for the 2028 Games, if the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) remains interested in a bid then, it was claimed.  

Los Angeles, which hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984, is among other US cities still considering bidding ©Getty Images





New York City launched an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic, eventually awarded to London, while a bid launched by Chicago for the next edition in 2016 also failed as Rio de Janeiro won the contest.

No US city bid for the 2020 Games, with no Summer Olympics having taken place on US soil since the 1996 edition in Atlanta.

But a US bid for 2024 has always appeared likely, and the signing of a long-term agreement between the International Olympic Committee and broadcasting giants NBC Universal earlier this month has led many to conclude that a US victory is inevitable.

Among other cities considering bids are Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC, all of whom are currently lobbying the USOC to be put forward as the candidate for 2024.

A shortlist of two or three candidates is expected by the end of next month.

Aside from those in the US, a number of European cities are also considering bidding for 2024, including Paris, Rome, Berlin and Hamburg.

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