Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 27 February 2018

Denver weighs Olympics bid years after withdrawing as host

By COLLEEN SLEVIN temporary structures, said
DENVER (AP) — It prom- Cohen, CEO of insurance
ised ample snow and sun- and wealth management
ny weather on a normally company IMA Financial
bare, rocky peak easily Group. The events could
accessible by "super high- be spread around the state
way," thousands more ho- or concentrated along the
tel rooms than existed and Front Range.
a cross-country ski course The exploratory committee
that looked good on paper has been criticized for its
but would have cut through lack of grassroots represen-
some people's backyards. tation for meeting behind
The airbrushed pitch closed doors, but it recently
worked, but after Denver invited community activists
won a bid to host the 1976 to serve on advisory groups
Winter Olympics, its plan and held online meetings
unraveled amid questions with the public.
about the environmental Architect Michael Wenham
impact, ballooning costs pondered the prospect of
and logistics of hosting a Denver Olympics recently
such a big event in a quick- while at a park near down-
ly growing state. town, noting it could be in-
Now, over four decades teresting to come up with
after Denver became the In this Jan. 31, 2018, photo, Rob Cohen, who is spearheading Colorado's effort to secure an Olym- environmentally friendly
only city to withdraw as an pic bid, poses in his office in lower downtown Denver. Associated Press ways to host the Olympics.
Olympic host after winning But he reconsidered when
a bid, it is exploring wheth- other work. that the games won't take make a recommendation he thought about I-70 traf-
er to try again after many Denver already faces stiff money from those priorities to the mayor and governor fic. He can't remember the
cities have decided it's just competition from Salt Lake and could potentially net by late April or early May, last time he headed to the
not worth it. City, which became the $100 million to $200 million although chairman Rob mountains to snowboard
The city is again growing, first U.S. city to announce thanks to proceeds from Cohen said the exploratory on a weekend because of
with low unemployment its plans to bid for the 2030 ticket sales, sponsorships committee would readjust its traffic jams.
and a booming economy, Winter Olympics this month. and merchandise. its timeline if a dual bid be- "High-speed buses with
and this time has a big- Salt Lake said it could The panel had been in a comes a possibility. their own lane. That is the
ger airport, light rail, more host without losing money rush to decide in March The International Olym- only way they're going to
hotels, seven professional thanks to existing venues whether to pursue the 2026 pic Committee is encour- be able to do it," Wenham
sports teams and multiple and its expertise in put- or 2030 games but is now aging fewer billion-dollar said. Cohen said buses
stadiums. But the highway ting on the 2002 Olympics. focused on 2030. The U.S. projects and more facili- would be one possibility
touted in '76 — Interstate Reno, Nevada, is also con- Olympic Committee an- ties already in place after for moving people to the
70, which connects Denver sidering a bid. nounced in Pyeongchang the lavish 2014 Olympics mountains quickly during
to the Rockies — has essen- While some worry the that it will not pursue a in Sochi. The three venues the Olympics, as would giv-
tially remained the same. Olympics will distract Den- 2026 bid unless the Interna- that would need to be built ing truckers incentives to
As the population of out- ver from urgent problems tional Olympic Committee for a Denver-based Olym- bypass I-70. He said some of
door-loving Colorado has like affordable housing decides to award bids for pics — for Nordic skiing, ski the surplus could be used to
grown, the largely four-lane and transportation, com- both years at once. Den- jumping, bobsledding, luge improve the interstate or on
route is often gridlocked on mittee members stress ver's group now plans to and skeleton — would be another project that would
weekends. benefit the state long-term,
Meanwhile, the city also and noted the federal gov-
is trying to lure Amazon ernment helped pay to fix
to open its second head- highways for Salt Lake City's
quarters in the metro area, 2002 Games.
which already has many In the years since Denver
worried about growth, tax said no thanks, more cities
breaks and the rising cost have become wary of pur-
of living. suing the Olympics in the
The Olympic exploratory face of public opposition
committee convened by and financial concerns.
Mayor Michael Hancock — Innsbruck, Austria, which
which includes leaders of hosted the 1976 Games
companies like Vail Resorts after Denver backed out,
and Liberty Global, along decided against pursuing
with former Denver Broncos a 2026 bid when its promise
quarterback Peyton Man- to organize low-cost and
ning and ex-Denver Nug- sustainable games failed to
get Chauncey Billups — is convince residents. Former
mulling a privately funded Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm,
games, estimated to cost whose political career took
$2 billion, without any mega off after he helped fight the
projects. Organizers say the 1976 Olympics, is trying to
strategy could even leave In this Feb. 1, 2018, photograph, one of the posters used in Colorado's effort to secure an Olympic keep an open mind about
the state with a surplus to bid in 1976 is part of the memorabilia collection of the Denver Public Library in Denver. Denver’s latest go-around.
fund I-70 improvements or Associated Press q