Boston out as US candidate for 2024 Olympics

In this Jan. 9, 2015, file photo, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh speaks during a news conference in Boston after the city was picked by the USOC as its bid city for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympics is over.

The city and the U.S. Olympic Committee severed ties after a board teleconference Monday, USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky told The Associated Press.

The decision throws the bid process — and hopes that the U.S. will host another Olympics — into flux. Only seven weeks remain before cities have to be officially nominated. If the USOC wants to stay in the race, Los Angeles is its likely choice.

The Boston bid soured within days of its beginning in January, beset by poor communication and an active opposition group that kept public support low. It also failed to get — and keep — the support of key politicians.

Earlier Monday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced he would not be pressured into signing the host city contract that puts the city on the hook for any cost overruns. Gov. Charlie Baker had been unwilling to pledge his support, waiting instead to see a full report from a consulting group that wasn't scheduled to be complete until next month.

A group that pushed for a referendum on the Olympics in Boston put out a release applauding the news.

"We are a world class state without the Olympics. We don't need to spend billions of tax dollars to prove that fact," said state Rep. Shaunna O'Connell, co-chair of Tank Taxes for Olympics.

The USOC and the Boston 2024 bid team were expected to put out statements later in the day.

The United States hasn't hosted a Summer Olympics since the Atlanta Games in 1996, or any Olympics since the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002. That timing, along with the USOC's vastly improved relationship with its international partners, made this look like a race that was America's to lose, even against world-class cities such as Rome and Paris.

But the USOC also showed its uncanny knack for shooting itself in the foot, no matter who's in charge. Political missteps and hamhanded campaigning marred the last two U.S. bids — New York and Chicago each finished an embarrassing fourth for the 2012 and 2016 Games, respectively. The USOC stayed out of the 2020 race to be sure it got things right for 2024. Instead, the federation didn't even make it to the international phase of the competition before running into trouble.

There's still time to save face if chairman Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun make quick phone calls to leaders in Los Angeles, including Mayor Eric Garcetti and agent/power broker Casey Wasserman. But some embarrassment cannot be avoided. The USOC spent nearly two years on a mostly secret domestic selection process that began with letters to almost three dozen cities gauging interest in hosting the Games.

Boston's initial bid team talked a big game, but made empty promises. Recently released documents show organizers underestimated the amount of opposition and downplayed the possibility of a statewide referendum on the games.

Most of that bid team was replaced, though the new team, led by Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, didn't fare much better. Their new plan took a blowtorch to the popular idea of a compact, walkable Olympics, instead spreading venues around the metro area and the state. There was no firm plan for a media center, considered one of the biggest projects at any games. And claims — backed by an intricate and confusing set of insurance policies — that the public wouldn't be on the hook for the mutlibillion-dollar sports event never gained traction.

Walsh's announcement at a quickly arranged news conference Monday reflected that.

"I will not sign a document that puts one dollar of taxpayers' money on the line for one penny of overruns on the Olympics," he said.

Poll numbers that were in the 30s moved into the 40s, but didn't show many signs of improving anytime soon.

Baker's endorsement might have helped, but the governor, whose Jan. 8 inauguration was overshadowed by the same-day announcement of Boston as the USOC's pick, never signed on. He spoke with USOC leaders Monday and told them he'd do things on his own timeline.

That, combined with Walsh's news conference Monday, set the stage for a difficult decision that many insiders felt the board should have made several weeks ago.