Olympics-Budapest withdraws bid to host 2024 Olympic Games

BUDAPEST, March 1 (Reuters) - Budapest's City Council withdrew its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, citing a lack of unity after a new political movement collected more than a quarter of a million signatures to force a referendum on the issue. Bidding alongside Los Angeles and Paris, Budapest had been considered a long-shot candidate, pinning its hopes on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Agenda 2020 initiative. (Reporting by Marton Dunai; Writing by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Louise Ireland)