Denver Thinking Again About Winter Olympics
As the torch in Pyeongchang, South Korea has been extinguished and the ski's, skates, and curling rocks are packed away until the next gathering, there is one city looking forward to a future Winter Olympics, and this time.....they're maybe serious.
Denver had it in their hands. The 1976 Winter Olympics. All they had to do was say "yes" and it would be done. But, there were legitimate concerns back then concerning environmental impact, the monetary costs, and the logistics of hosting such a huge event. To this day, Denver is the only city to withdraw as a host after winning a bid.
While Mayor Michael Hancock and other city leaders are campaigning for the second Amazon headquarters location, the Mayor also has his Olympic exploratory committee that includes company leaders from Vail Resorts and Liberty Global, as well as Peyton Manning and former Nugget, Chauncey Billups. They are exploring the possibility of having the games be privately funded to the tune of an estimated $2 billion, with no mega projects.
One major obstacle to overcome is I-70, which connects Denver to the Rockies and their amazing ski resorts. This stretch of interstate has been virtually the same since Denver went for the 1976 bid. I think we could all attest to the nightmare it is during a regular weekend in the winter when folks are heading to the hills for the skiing and snowboarding. Imagine the logistical nightmare during an Olympic Winter Games. This is a hurdle.
As Denver's Olympic exploratory committee continues to do their homework on logistics and fundraising, they have decided to put their focus on the 2030 games. They have some competition from another U.S. City for those games, and they've got experience. Salt Lake City, who hosted the 2002 games, would like another swing at it claiming that most of the venues are still there, plus their experience in hosting the games. Reno, Nevada is also considering a bid.
SOURCE: Fox News 31-Denver