Amador County – A California group formed in April seeks to bring the Winter Olympics to Lake Tahoe in 2022 in partnership with a Nevada group. It would be the first U.S. Winter Olympics since Squaw Valley in 1960.
Amador County Supervisor Louis Boitano in October said “a couple of resorts in Tahoe have combined and are trying to get the winter Olympics up there. That would be a huge boon to the economy.”
The California Winter Games Committee wants to team with Nevada’s Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition in a bid to host the Olympics. In a release announcing the committee in April, Senator Ted Gaines said the “impact of the Winter Oympic Games on my Senate District would be enormous. Millions of dollars would be pumped into the local economy, a legacy of infrastructure improvements would be left behind, and the world’s attention would be focused on our majestic Sierra Nevada region.”
The Committee noted that the Vancouver Organizing Committee release 2010 Winter Olympics financial reports estimating the Vancouver Games “brought an $800 million economic impact to British Columbia,” and a “$603 million venue development program delivered on budget.”
California Winter Games Committee Interim President Michael Faust said: “We believe California needs a strong statewide effort to match up the knowledge and resources from Nevada to create a unique, carefully constructed and economically feasible plan.” Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsome took over as chair of the Committee in June.
El Dorado County Supervisor Chairman Ray Nutting wrote in support that “one of the most practical gauges is the outcome of the 2010 Vancouver” Games, “which Price-Waterhouse-Coopers says created 45,500 jobs and $2.5 billion in additional gross domestic product provincially” and “regional tourism enjoyed a boost of $463 million.”
Reuters last November reported that Denver and Tahoe areas both seeking to host the 2022 Winter Games “have been warned that any future United Stated bids are on hold pending a new revenue sharing deal with the International Olympic Committee.” It said Chicago’s failed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics was indicative that “any future attempts will be doomed unless a solution was found.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
