ROME (AP) — Irresponsible, unsustainable and unaffordable.
Refusing to put up with more debt in a city besieged by corruption and poor public services, Mayor Virginia Raggi rejected Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympics on Wednesday, effectively dooming the capital's candidacy for the second time in four years.
"This city is unlivable," Raggi said in a news conference at city hall atop ancient Capitoline Hill. "We need to focus on that.
"We have a much more ambitious project for Rome than the one for the 2024 Games," Raggi added. "We want to upgrade the services, give back to citizens a city that is as worthy as any other European capital.