The 2022 Winter Olympic Games may be coming to Denver. Stay tuned.
Colorado Olympic Bid 2022 | Exploratory Committee Formed
A little Denver history lesson first . . . in 1976, Denver became the first city in history to leave the US Olympic committee standing at the altar. The Mile-High City was actually awarded an Winter Olympic bid, only to have the voters turn it down due to financial and environmental concerns.
Finally, after years of rumors about possible bids for prior Winter Olympic games, it looks like an exploratory committee is being formed by Michael Hancock and John Hickenlooper to consider hosting a Colorado Olympic Bid for 2022 winter games.
9News Update Video on 2022 Colorado Olympic Bid
Many of Same Concerns with 2022 Colorado Winter Olympic Bid
The facts are, many of the concerns about the rejected 1976 bid, still exist today.
Hosting the games is no guarantee that the region will benefit economically from a winter Olympic bid. With the US Olympic Committee headquarters, Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, and world-class slopes currently already in Colorado, the state does have some advantages.
Public Private Cooperation Required - But at What Cost?
Public officials are already starting a drum beat that includes a strong private-public cooperative, in order to put a financially viable bid together. This then brings into question environmental concerns. Talk of inter-mountain railroads have already been put fourth, which could theoretically have a positive or negative environmental impact. Remember, the Rocky Mountain range is a vast watershed that feeds large parts of the western states water needs.
Other Competitors Already Popping Up for Colorado Winter Olympic Bid
Two other US cities are considering their own bids for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Both Reno, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah are thinking of throwing their hats into the ring. I think Denver really has a strong chance against these two cities, but who else will get into the bidding is anybody's guess.
Winter Olympic Events
We will have to see what the final list of Olypmic Winter Events would be if the 2022 Olympics does come to Colorado.
It is being suggested that we could leverage the possibility of a statewide Winter Olympic bid for 2022, to fund an advanced inter-mountain rail system. This would alleviate congestion on the I-70 corridor, which has always been a fear of the Olympic Committee when considering Colorado for an Olympic bid.
David Williams of the Colorado Independent writes:
The only reason Colorado should consider bidding for the 2022 Games is if it results in a massive influx of federal funds to build a mountain rail system, said Harry Dale, an engineer and former telecommunications project manager who’s now a Clear Creek County commissioner and president of the Rocky Mountain
"Even though I live in Vail, my own vision would be to spread the Olympic love throughout Colorado ski country with events all over the state. We would wind up with an interconnecting rail system that would give Colorado a winter sports competitive edge for decades to come because of our high altitude and lower travel costs in an era of rising fuel prices and global warming.
The alpine skiing could be held at Vail and Beaver Creek, which already has one of the top downhill courses in the world. Aspen, which dedicates all of Buttermilk to the X Games, could host snowboarding, ski cross and boarder cross. Winter Park, a Denver City and County-owned resort that already has rail access and one of the best mogul mountains in the world at Mary Jane, could host freestyle moguls.
Steamboat Springs, because of its tradition of producing Olympic athletes and its dedicated
In 1976, Denver became the first city in history to leave the Olympic Committee standing at the altar. The Mile-High City was actually awarded the bid, only to have the voters turn it down due to financial and environmental concerns.
