WASHINGTON?Salt Lake Olympic chief Mitt Romney says the costs of the Olympic Games are growing out of control and the pageantry surrounding the games should be scaled back.

Romney, responding to a new General Accounting Office report, said he plans to give International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge a series of recommendations to keep costs down.

The GAO, Congress’ auditing agency, said the 2002 Winter Olympics are expected to cost $1.9 billion.

The last Winter Olympics in the United States, held at Lake Placid, N.Y., cost just $363 million when adjusted for inflation, a near six-fold increase, the GAO said.