2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games: Boston bids to host

Fenway Park - home of the city's Red Sox baseball team - could be one of Boston's venues

Boston has been selected by the United States Olympic Committee as its candidate city to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Boston beat domestic competition from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC to be put forward.

"Our goal is to host Olympic and Paralympic Games that are innovative, walkable and hospitable to all," said Boston mayor Marty Walsh.

The deadline for cities to apply to host the Games is 15 September.

The International Olympic Committee are due to make a decision in 2017.

The last time the USA hosted a summer games was in Atlanta in 1996, although Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002.

"I very much want to bring the games to the United States to share the incredible spirit of the games with another generation of Americans, and advance the Olympic and Paralympic movements," said American IOC executive board member Anita DeFrantz.

The US is the third country after Germany and Italy to officially launch a bidding process.

At an IOC meeting in Monaco in December, a 40-point action plan was voted on to revamp the sporting showpiece.

Potential hosts will find it easier and cheaper to bid under the "Olympic Agenda 2020" reforms and events can be held outside the host country or city.

The 28-sport cap for future summer Olympics has been removed - although there will be no changes to the Rio 2016 schedule.

Instead of a 28-sport limit, each summer Games will be restricted to 10,500 athletes and 310 events.