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.
John Hickenlooper and new Denver Mayor Michael Hancock are finally seeing the light. Colorado is a premier winter sport state where a lot of winter olympic training takes place. It deserves to have a successful winter Olympic Bid. After the Democratic Convention, we have proved we can host large events. The plan would be to spread the games over our great Ski towns such as Vail, Aspen and Steamboat Springs. Talk of a mountain railroad have already begun, perhaps interlinking our great Ski resorts. In this economic climate, it does not sound feasible, but then again the economy may come back by then.
Hancock Sees Opening in 2022 Winter Olympic Bid
Michael Hancock has show his willingness to enter the world stage, and this would be a great forum for him to do so. Some of the baggage he as taken into his Mayoral-ship (baggage not claimed at customs), could hinder his high aspirations. Lets see what he can do for Denver, which is in need of a great leader to fill the Hick's Shoes. Hancock is quoted as saying "We are ready to take our rightful place on the Global Stage, certainly nothing would help us do that greater than the Olympics in 2022."
Hickenlooper sees 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid As Good for State Economy
The loop sees things clearly, and we are in tough economic times, and the Winter Games could help drive the Colorado Economy.
South Africa is considering a bid to host the 2020 or 2024 Olympic games.
This would be the first ever Olympics in Africa - pretty crazy when you think about it, as some of our greatest athletes come from the continent of Africa.
"It is the dream of the International Olympic Committee that developing countries are given an opportunity to host the Olympics," Sam said at a joint media briefing with IOC president Jacques Rogge in Johannesburg.
"It is now up to the government, the national Olympic committee and the sporting community whether or not this country takes the decision to bid for the Games," Sam said.
South Africa is definitely a country of extremes - great beaches and Night-Life, and one of the highest crime rates in world. It also has one of the highest Gini Coefficients, which is a measure of the inequality of distribution.
The murder of Anni Dewani in Cape Town recently, did give the country an international black eye. Some people seem to also refer to her as Anil Dewani.
Two men have been arraigned in connection with the murder of the tourist, the SABC reported.
One of them has been positively identified as 31-year-old Zola Tongo, who was the driver of the vehicle in which Dewani was found murdered.
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
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
Speculation had been rampant that if Chicago failed to land the event, Denver would put together a bid to try to capture the 2018 Winter Olympics. As recently as Oct. 1, Gov. Bill Ritter’s spokesman, Evan Dreyer, told the Durango Herald that there had been conversations for more than a year about the possibility of a bid for those games.
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.
