Yes it Is!Denver and the rocky mountains have delivered some of our greatest Olympic athletes . It also happens to have some of the greatest powder in the world. So why not? Not sure really. It was thought if Chicago did not win the bid for the 2016 summer games, then Denver would be a candidate for the 2018 Winter Games. Unfortunately, Chicago’s loss will not be Denver’s gain — at least in 2018 . . . The International Olympic Committee announced that Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics, beating out a final group of cities that also included Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid. The decision came after President Barack Obama flew down to Copenhagen, Denmark, to pitch Chicago’s candidacy personally to Olympic officials Representatives of the Olympic bid cities have met in Denver to make pitches to the people who will award the 2016 Summer Games later this year. Lingering in the back of everybody's mind was the possibility of a 2018 Winter Olympics in the Mile High City. Denver certainly has the snow conditions and facilities to host a world class event. If Chicago is awarded the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Committee will not bid again until the 2022 Olympic Games, which would take Denver out of the running. Perhaps the door is still open and the Democratic national convention was just the beginning of Denver's rise. The List of Contenders for the 2016 Summer Olympics include: Chicago is proposing a $4.8 billion budget Madrid is at $5.6 billion Tokyo is at $4.4 billion Rio de Janeiro's is at $14.4 billion
Pollution?Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid are all playing hard-ball, saying much of their Olympic infrastructure is already in place. Pollution could be a factor in all these cities. Agenda for Meeting held in Denver
In Denver, the EB met with the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations, the International Winter Olympic Sports Federations, and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) Council. Olympic Committee Agenda items: Denver Turns Down Olympic Bid in 1976
Denver is famously the only city ever to turn down the Olympics. Denver was awarded the 1976 Olympics by the International Olympic Committee, only to have the Colorado People reject any investment due to environmental and financial concerns. This all happened back in 1972 -- about 2 1/2 years after the IOC had awarded the 1976 Winter Games to Denver for the cost of $5 million. Richard Lamm and along with some up-and-coming civic leaders decided it didn't want the publicity, the construction, the traffic, or the pollution the games could potentially provide. Lamm was quoted as saying "The organizing committee here was in way over their heads." "They overestimated the benefits and underestimated the costs. Colorado was generally persuaded that they didn't have an adequate grasp on the figures and Colorado was very much liable to have to fund dramatic cost overruns." Technorati Profile 
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