Assembly passes motion to withdraw Rome’s bid to host 2024 Games.

Rome city council has passed a motion presented by the ruling Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S) to withdraw the city’s bid to host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2024.

The motion, passed on 29 September, follows the recent announcement by M5S mayor Virginia Raggi that the city would be pulling its support for the bid on grounds of cost unsustainability.

The announcement confirmed the position held by Raggi during her spring election campaign that the resources would be better spent on improving city services.

However, it came as a blow to the Italian national Olympic committee (CONI), the government of prime minister Matteo Renzi, which strongly supported the bid, and the local business community.

Rome "cut a pretty poor figure" on the international stage with the anti-Olympic vote, Renzi said.

Meanwhile the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was “aware” the Rome city council had voted to withdraw the bid.

"We're also aware central government and the Lazio region support Rome's bid," the IOC said in a statement.

"We're in contact with the Rome 2024 bid committee and with CONI to clarify these political circumstances".