America will not put forward host city for 2020 Olympics

THE USA will not be bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games after being snubbed twice in eight years by the International Olympic Committee.

PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT: Even a passionate speech from President Barack Obama
could not stop Chicago's elimination from the 2016 voting last October (Getty Images)

Chicago's bid was the first to be eliminated in the 2016 voting in Copenhagen last October while New York was beaten by London for the 2012 Games.

With Chicago spending $80m (about £52m) on its bid as well pulling out all the stops with a guest appearance from President Barack Obama as voting was about to get underway, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) believe the IOC just do not want the Olympics to be held in the US.

"We don't have to look much further than what happened in the last two bid races," said USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky.

"We have to focus our attention elsewhere. It may mean developing stronger relationships with the IOC or having time to do other things.

"At this time there's certainly no plans for 2020. Right now our focus is on other things, not just bidding."

Relations between the USOC and IOC have been strained in recent years over plans to restructure a television and sponsor contract between the two which is largely seen to be in America's favour.

At present, the USOC receives 12.75 percent of Olympic television rights fees and 20 percent of global marketing revenues - because of the involvement of US companies - in an open-ended contract.

The IOC generates more than half of its revenues from television rights and deals with the USA. These tend to be worth more than the rest of the world combined.

But the fact that the USOC receives a larger cut than the rest of the world put together is a sore point among IOC members and tensions spilled over when Chicago were the first bid to be eliminated last year.

"The cold and hard reality is Chicago spent approximately $80 million on its bid and it's going to be difficult to get U.S. cities to continue to invest to that level unless they think they have a realistic chance of winning," added USOC Chief Executive Scott Blackmun.

"The IOC sent us a message, loud and clear, that they don't want the Games to be in the United States.

"Unless we get some signs from the IOC, I think it's highly unlikely we would mount a bid on our own initiative."