Top Story Replay - U.S. Field for 2022 Grows Crowded, Competitive

This story was originally published Feb. 29.

(ATR) With Salt Lake City throwing its toque into the ring for a possible Winter Olympics bid, interest is heightened in the 2022 race – with still no indication the U.S. Olympic Committee will put forth a bid.

"While we are happy to have so many cities interested in potentially bringing the Winter Games back to the United States, at this point the USOC is not considering any bids for Winter or Summer Olympic Games," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky tells Around the Rings. "Our sole focus is on preparing the best team for the London Olympics and completing the revenue sharing discussions with the IOC."

The USOC has not wavered in its contention that the U.S. will not bid again for the Olympics until the revenue-sharing rift is mended. It does not want a repeat of the disastrous 2012 New York and 2016 Chicago bids.

But that has not stopped U.S. cities from dreaming.

On the 10th anniversary of the opening of the 2002 Olympics, Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker announced the formation of an exploratory committee to consider a bid for the 2022 or 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

That could make the U.S. field of candidates the most crowded and competitive in years with Denver, Reno-Tahoe (and neighboring Sacramento) as well as Bozeman, Mont., also expressing interest in bidding for the Games. Around the world, the Swiss cities of Davos and St. Moritz are considering a joint bid; Munich, which lost to PyeongChang for the 2018 Games, has formed a group to look into another campaign; and Barcelona, the Carpathian region of Ukraine as well as Almaty, Kazakhstan are also potential applicant cities.

Reno-Tahoe Thinking Positive

Soon after the Salt Lake City announcement, Jon Killoran, CEO of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition, told ATR that "wherever the Olympic Movement is being promoted in this country," it's positive for everyone.

He says that it's up to the USOC whether to put forth a bid but adds, "Having this kind of interest can only be a positive thing for the cities involved, for the regions involved and for the USOC and the nation as a whole."

Killoran says Reno-Tahoe recognizes that the USOC has the revenue-sharing agreement to sort out. "They have some goals and objectives they have mapped out and want to accomplish and we respect their wishes."

Sandusky tells ATR that all of the interest does not put more impetus on a quicker resolution to the revenue-sharing agreement with the IOC.

Killoran says if the USOC does decide to support a bid, he expects "a proper vetting process and they'll put everybody interested through the paces. I feel we have a competitive and potentially successful opportunity to host the Games."

But he emphasized, "It's not our decision to make."

Try, Try Again

Reno-Tahoe has been trying to land the Olympics for more than 20 years. It was in the hunt for the 1998 Olympics but lost to Salt Lake City for the U.S. designation. After the Utah capital lost to Nagano, it launched another bid and was successful.

Unlike Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno-Tahoe do not have a bobsled track in the immediate vicinity. Squaw Valley, the 1960 host which is on the California side of Lake Tahoe from Reno, chose not to build a bob run. The only other track in the U.S. is in Lake Placid, N.Y., the 1932 and 1980 host city.

"Unless you're an established past host, there are not too many of those sitting around in cities waiting to be used," Killoran says. "Obviously, Salt Lake City has done a nice job with the legacy, and certainly we would want to be able to provide similar opportunities."

On the flip side, in this era of sustainability, already having facilities is a plus. In addition, environmentalists are already weighing in on the impact a Winter Olympics would have in Denver.

Anne Warhover, co-chairwoman of a 22-member committee exploring a Denver bid, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Utah's plans sent the right message to Olympic stakeholders. "It's validating that other American cities are interested in it," she said.

Salt Lake City Experience

Ken Bullock, Director of theUtah League of Cities and Towns, says if Salt Lake City does decide to bid again, "I think this time we know what we're getting into."

He tells ATR that the citizens of Utah had "a wonderful experience" with the 2002 Games, but they would go into a new bid with their "eyes wide open," especially as it pertains to the IOC, which he says "is there to take care of themselves."

"When you look at the revenue sharing as it relates to sponsorships and the TV revenues and the tickets and the memorabilia, they get a disproportionate amount of money that they need to operate," Bullock says. "So you know going in you're dealing with people who aren't really that focused on the success of the Games and the community; they put the entire burden on the community. If the community wants it, then they need to understand that."

Bullock, who kept a close watch on 2002 preparations and spending, says he is not opposed to bringing the Olympics back to the area.

"It's one of those things where if you can share the wealth and let others have that experience, that wouldn't bother me," he says. "If Salt Lake wants to pursue it, then good for them.

"I think the world came here and had a great experience and we've seen Lake Placid do it again, so (the governor's announcement) was not surprising," he says. "I think we'll have an uphill battle with Reno and Denver, but we have success on our side, so those things may balance out."

Bullock says Salt Lake City's existing facilities and experience will help keep costs down. "We have all the infrastructure, we know how to do it, so you're able to figure out a budget a lot better because you've done it once."

While some previous Olympic bids have focused on bringing new infrastructure to their regions – such as roads to Albertville and a winter resort to PyeongChang – the benefit to Salt Lake City would be more intangible.

"It's being able to expose the world to a world-class city that has unbelievable ski resorts and a winter atmosphere that's second to none," Bullock says.

Fraser Bullock, no relation, served as COO of Salt Lake City 2002 and now sits on the newly formed exploratory committee, which held its first meeting Feb 16.

Bullock told ATR during the anniversary celebrations that he estimates the cost of another bid from Salt Lake City to be $10 million at a minimum, a figure kept down by the presence of existing venues and the lack of a need for feasibility plans.

Too Much Familiarity?

One of the drawbacks to selecting Salt Lake City as the U.S. candidate could be the "been there, done that" mentality.When Los Angeles was trying to become the next U.S. Summer Games candidate, there was a feeling that the 1984 Games were still too fresh in people's minds.

Salt Lake City would also need a compelling story. As Annecy learned in its 2018 campaign, it'snot enough simply to be a winter sports capital nestled in a famous mountain range.

The IOC has not returned to the same Winter Olympics location since 1976, when Innsbruck, the 1964 host, stepped in as a replacement city for Denver. Voters in Colorado rejected the 1976 Denver Olympics in a referendum, and 2022 proponents in that city are hoping the collective IOC memory is not long – or at least is forgiving.

In 1948, St. Moritz hosted for the second time in 20 years, but that was due to the aftermath of World War II. The 1940 Winter Olympics had been scheduled for Sapporo, Japan, and the 1944 Olympics for Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Those cities eventually hosted – Cortina in 1956 and Sapporo in 1972.

Although the IOC claims there is no rotation among continents and regions, for 2022, it would seem to be the turn of Western Europe, which has not hosted the Winter Games since 2006 in Turin.

Summer Games Ramifications

Another factor the USOC will consider in deciding whether to back a 2022 campaign is the effect on a Summer Olympics bid. If the U.S. opts to go for the 2024 Summer Games, then a successful Winter Games bid would presumably snuff out the U.S. chances to host again two years later. The U.S. has not hosted a Summer Games since 1996 in Atlanta.

It might be easier for the U.S. to win a Winter Games, because there are fewer options. However, U.S. fan interest and sponsor dollars are greater for the Summer Olympics on U.S. soil.

The U.S. political climate could also be a factor. If Mitt Romney, who ran the successful Salt Lake City Games, is elected president, that could smooth the way for the sometimes problematic governmental guarantee that the IOC requires of candidate cities.

President Barack Obama, who traveled to Copenhagen to campaign for Chicago and shared in that city's humiliation, might not be as disposed to try again.

Times have also changed since Salt Lake City's bids in the 1990s, when the cost of bidding was much lower. The 2018 candidates shelled out about $50 million apiece, although the IOC is pushing to keep the bids from spending so much money.

Scott Blackmun, CEO of the USOC, remains non-committal about U.S. prospects for a Winter Olympic bid.

"We have Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno/Tahoe and Bozeman who have all expressed an interest," he told ATR last month in Los Angeles.

"Obviously, Salt Lake City did a great job when they hosted the Games in 2002, and when we start considering a bid, we'll certainly be in discussions with all of those cities."

Reported by Karen Rosen

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