Denver group eyes 2018 Olympic bid

The Vail Daily

Published August 30, 2006 at midnight

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VAIL - A Denver committee is exploring a possible bid for the 2018 winter Olympic games and has contacted officials in Vail.

"If the (U.S. Olympic Committee) would make a decision that they would open up bids for 2018 from any U.S. city, then we would like to be considered as a potential contender for that," Robert Cohen, chairman of the Metro Denver Sports Commission, which is exploring the bid, told the Vail Daily for its Wednesday edition.

Among those contacted as the group puts together its plans was the Vail Valley Foundation that puts on the Birds of Prey World Cup ski races at Beaver Creek, the only U.S. stop on the men's World Cup circuit.

The foundation also hosts The Session, a pro snowboarding competition on Vail Mountain.

John Dakin, spokesman for the foundation said they've discussed conceptual plans.

"Right now it's pretty safe to say that everything is still in the investigation stage and trying to understand what they are looking for, what their goals and objectives are both in the short term and long term," Dakin said.

The USOC likely will decide within two years if it wants to make a U.S. bid for the games. Reno, Nev./Lake Tahoe; Salt Lake City; and Lake Placid, N.Y., have also expressed interest in the 2018 Games, Cohen said.

The Denver exploratory committee formed three years ago and is composed of about 30 people.

Denver was awarded the 1976 Olympic Games in 1970 but opponents, led by former Gov. Dick Lamm, then a state representative, said the games would be too costly, environmentally harmful and spur too much growth.

Voters rejected funding the games in 1972 and the city withdrew as host. Innsbruck, Austria, hosted the 1976 games.

The site of the 2014 Winter Games will be selected next July.

The finalists are PyeongChang, South Korea; Salzburg, Austria; and Sochi, Russia.

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