Prague City Hall assembly members vote in favour of hosting Olympics

Members of the Prague City Hall assembly have voted in favour of bidding to hold the 2016 Olympics in the Czech capital. On Thursday, 50 members supported the proposal, 10 members opposed it and 7 abstained from the vote. In the two-hour heated discussion that preceded the vote Prague Mayor Pavel Bem stressed that a bid will not be placed if further studies find that the Games would leave the city heavily indebted. He added that the assembly's decision is only the second of ten steps that will be taken before the city makes its final decision.

Prague has until September to make its bid and will compete against cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Dilly, Tokio, and Rio de Janeiro.