October 02, 2009 10:44 PM UTC

2018 Denver Olympics, Anyone?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Chicago’s loss could be Colorado’s gain, as the Durango Herald reported yesterday:

Colorado’s Olympic dreams might rest on Chicago’s success or failure Friday, when the 2016 host city will be chosen.

When the International Olympic Committee will vote Friday in Denmark on the location of the 2016 Summer Games, Coloradans will be there, cheering on Chicago but also preparing their own bid for 2018.

Officially, American Olympic boosters are focused only on Chicago. But a spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter confirmed Wednesday that Denver is working on a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said he could say little about Denver’s bid, because U.S. officials want the spotlight on Chicago.

“Chicago is on the international stage, and from our perspective, nothing should distract from that,” Dreyer said, adding that he might be able to say more after Friday’s vote…

Well folks, the 2016 Summer Games vote came in today, and despite President Obama’s personal appeal on behalf of his adopted hometown…no sale. They try to spread the Olympic Games out around the world, so Chicago losing the Summer Games in 2016 could well make Denver’s bid for the 2018 Winter Games more competitive.

Of course, some say that the International Olympic Committee will never look at Colorado again after what Gov. Dick Lamm did to them in 1972–it’s our hope that time might heal that particular wound, we’re a very different state now. What do you think? A poll follows.

UPDATE: No sooner than we clicked “save” on this post, we got a press release from Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper–full text after the jump, says Hizzoner, “We plan to work closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee, Gov. Bill Ritter and our community to explore what opportunities might exist to once again showcase our world-class city on an international stage.”

UPDATE #2: The timing may not be good for a 2018 bid? Updates the AP:

The Colorado Springs-based U.S. Olympic Committee will not make a bid for the 2018 Winter Games, a spokesperson said Friday, shortly after Chicago failed to nab the 2016 Summer Olympics.

This indicates Denver will have to wait for its chance to host an Olympics.

The USOC said it will not submit a bid for the 2018 games because the deadline is just two weeks away, allowing too little time to prepare a viable entry.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said Friday he’s disappointed the 2016 Summer Games won’t be in Chicago but said the state is still “extremely” interested in hosting a future Olympics.

So 2022, okay by us. As one commenter put it, “hopefully FasTracks will be done by then.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FRIDAY, OCT. 2, 2009

CONTACTS

Eric Brown, 720.865.9016, eric.brown@denvergov.org

Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us

MAYOR HICKENLOOPER, GOVERNOR RITTER STATEMENTS ON OLYMPICS

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter issued the following statements today regarding the International Olympic Committee’s decision to award the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro:

“Chicago made a great run at the 2016 Summer Olympics and we are proud of the effort by Mayor Daley and his team to bring the Games back to the United States,” Mayor Hickenlooper said. “We plan to work closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee, Gov. Bill Ritter and our community to explore what opportunities might exist to once again showcase our world-class city on an international stage.”

“While it’s disappointing that the Games will not be returning to the United States in 2016, we congratulate Rio de Janeiro for capturing the first Games that will be held in South America,” Gov. Ritter said. “We also offer our thanks and gratitude to the International Olympic Committee for all of its hard work in making this decision. In Colorado, our interest in attracting and hosting world-class athletic events, including the Olympics, remains extremely high and we will follow the guidance of the USOC when it comes to any Olympic efforts. As we consider possible next steps, I look forward to working with Mayor Hickenlooper, the Metro Denver Sports Commission and the U.S. Olympic Committee in the near future.”

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