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Hungarian government proposes Budapest withdraws 2024 Olympic bid

The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister said that hosting the Olympics was a “national cause which requires unity"

The Hungarian government has proposed a withdrawal of Budapest's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games.

According to the prime minister's cabinet office, the government has passed a resolution in which it proposes that the city of Budapest and the Hungarian Olympic Committee should withdraw their bid.

The cabinet office said that hosting the Olympics was a “national cause which requires unity”. Authors of the statement insisted that the initial unity had vanished in recent months and the Games had “become a cause for party politics" instead of "a national cause”, and called to account the opposition parties for “going back on their earlier decision” to support the Olympic bid.

Budapest Mayor István Tarlós attended a meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the head of the Hungarian Olympic Committee Zsolt Borkai, and said that the city management, in agreement with the government, has proposed that the municipal assembly should withdraw the bid.

The Hungarian Olympic Committee has said it would continue to do everything it can to bring the Olympic Games to Hungary in the future.