This time, mass is said. By decision of its new mayor, lawyer Virginia Raggi, the city of Rome is no longer a candidate for the Summer Games in 2024. The Italian Olympic and Paralympic project was hanging by a thread since the election, the Last June 19, the representative of the 5 Star Movement at the head of the capital. He finally gave in. The opposite of a surprise, even if rumors had suggested, in recent weeks, that a less negative scenario was still possible.

In fact, Virginia Raggi respected her schedule. She had called a press conference in a room at City Hall, early in the afternoon, to express her decision concerning Rome's candidacy for the 2024 Games. The press conference took place. The mayor of the capital gave a well-known and unforeseen speech. “We respected the Olympic and Paralympic truce and now we are in front of you,” she explained. It is irresponsible to say yes to this application. »

Virginia Raggi then raised her voice. And continued his argument: “No to the Concrete Games! No to cathedrals in the desert. We are not going to mortgage the future of this city. » The first elected official of the capital spoke of the past, studded according to her with “Olympic dreams which turn into nightmares. » She insisted that the Games left behind a torrent of debt. “In light of the evidence we have, these Olympics are not viable. They will only bring debts.” Obviously, the resolutions of the IOC Agenda 2020 did not convince her.

It now remains for the Municipal Council to definitively sound the death knell for the Italian candidacy. Last year, its members voted by a large majority in favor of the Olympic project: 38 votes for, 6 against. But since then, the Virginia Raggi phenomenon has given another color to the governance of the capital. The wind has turned.

Basically, the announcement by the mayor of Rome did not surprise many people. In terms of form, the day had a few surprises in store. Virginia Raggi was supposed to meet Giovanni Malago, the president of CONI, and some of the leaders of the Italian Olympic movement, before officially announcing her decision to the press. They were present at City Hall. But Giovanni Malago and his troupe left without hiding their anger, explaining that they had waited 45 minutes for an appointment that Virginia Raggi simply snubbed.

Later in the day, Giovanni Malago held his own press conference. The president of CONI expressed his deep disappointment, on behalf of the Olympic movement but also of the “200 people who could have found employment thanks to the Games”. The Italian leader spoke of Virginia Raggi's attitude as a "lack of respect" towards himself and towards CONI. Then he clarified: “Until we see a formal decision regarding this application, we will continue to work. We cannot simply announce its stop at a press conference. »

With the withdrawal of Rome, whose bid team has apparently spent the bulk of the 24 million budget allocated to the campaign, the race for the 2024 Games is now reduced to three applicants, Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris, a year less a few days before the IOC vote. There were still five on the starting line last September. But a referendum sent Hamburg's Germans back into the ditch. Then a municipal team little sensitive to the Olympic ideal reduced Italian ambitions to smithereens.

Who benefits from Rome's renunciation? To no one. Certainly, one less applicant alleviates adversity. But you always have to beat two in this race where only the winner can raise his arms to the sky. The Italian withdrawal does not redistribute the cards. It only forces the last three applicants to step up their efforts even more to convince public opinion that the Games do not leave debts and do not turn into a nightmare, to paraphrase Virginia Raggi. Never easy in times of crisis.

By adopting a 2020 Agenda supposed to reduce costs and avoid the risks of being left behind, the IOC hoped to no longer find itself with a race for the Games with two candidates, as for the 2022 Winter Olympics. It aimed to revive Olympic fever in the world's major cities. The task will take longer than expected.