Budapest mayor says could consider withdrawing 2024 Olympic bid if there is referendum

[February 17, 2017]    BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Budapest's Mayor Istvan Tarlos said on Friday that he would consider the option of withdrawing Budapest's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics if it turns out that enough signatures have been collected to hold a referendum on the issue.

Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos (r), 2024 Olympic bid commissioner Balazs Furjes (c), and a Hungarian member of the International Olympic Committee Pal Schmitt (l) talk during the unveiling ceremony of the official candidacy logo of Budapest for the 2024 Olympic Games, in Budapest, Hungary April 14, 2016. Picture taken April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh Picture Supplied by Action Images

Hungarian political movement Momentum has collected over 200,000 signatures in its campaign, which could be sufficient to force a referendum, daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet reported.

"If there is indeed a referendum, or if it turns out that a sufficient number of Budapest citizens have signed that they want a referendum, then I personally ... will seriously consider whether we should withdraw the bid," Tarlos told a news conference according to video broadcast.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Alison Williams)

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