WASHINGTON, Jan. 8-- The U.S. Olympic Committee said on Thursday that Boston will represent the country to bid for the 2024 summer Olympic Games.

The city which has never hosted an Olympics defeated two-time host Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington during the United States' internal bid competition.

The United States has not hosted a Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. New York and Chicago attempted to land the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games but failed.

Rome and a German city will join the race to host the 2024 games. German capital Berlin will be against Hamburg in the internal bid competition.

Boston's potential opponents also include Istanbul, Paris, Doha and a city from Africa.

Boston's advantage is that it can use more than 100 universities throughout the area to house events and athletes.

The final decision on the 2024 host will be made in mid-2017.