According to the U.S. Olympic Committee, Denver is one of three cities in the running to host the Winter Olympics in 2026 or 2030.
On Monday, September 25, the U.S. Olympic Committee leaders stated in a press release they were interested in having the Winter Olympics hosted in the United States. Denver is one of three cities to be considered for the 2026 or 2030 Winter Games. The other cities are Salt Lake City, Utah, and Reno, Nevada. Scott Blackmun, CEO of USOC, said that the board will meet in mid-October to discuss the possibility of Denver hosting. The last Winter Olympics in the United States were in Salt Lake City in 2002, and according to the release, Denver will have some pretty tough competition from the Park City and Salt Lake City organizers since both spots have said they're interested in hosting a second Olympics. Plus, they still have a lot of the infrastructure from 2002.We're still doing our due diligence right now and looking at the possibilities. We want to make sure that of course it benefits the citizens of Denver," said Matthew Payne, director of the Denver Sports Commission.
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Denver hosting the Olympics in 2026 or 2030?
Advantages
- Multiple sports venues (i.e., Sports Authority Field at Mile High and the Pepsi Center)
- Ski resorts within a few hours of Denver
- U.S. Olympic Committee's headquarters are in Colorado Springs
- Cost of hosting -- Winter Olympics in Sochi cost Russia $51 billion
- Mountain travel is no easy feat, especially during the winter (Looking at you, I-70)
- Denver's past with the Olympics -- Had been given the Olympics, but rejected it (1976)
