Boston has been selected as the American candidate city that will bid for the opportunity to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the US Olympic Committee said on Thursday (January 8).

Boston, which has never hosted an Olympics, was selected over two-time host Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington during the United States' internal bid competition.

"We're excited about our plans to submit a bid for the 2024 Games and feel we have an incredibly strong partner in Boston that will work with us to present a compelling bid," USOC Chairman Larry Probst said in a statement.

The United States, which has not hosted a Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, will be up against Rome and Germany, which has announced that it will bid through Berlin or Hamburg.

A string of potential hosts, including Istanbul, Paris, Doha and a city from Africa, are also considering bids.

Cities have until September to officially put in a bid with a decision on the 2024 host to be made in mid-2017.