Summit County Citizens Voice

Will the Olympic flag fly over Colorado in 2022?

Grassroots support critical for a successful bid

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Tuesday’s report on a possible Denver-Colorado bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is likely to trigger a new round of debates and discussions in political circles, around water coolers and even at the family dinner table, like at my house tonight.

And while it’s only a very early step in what could be a very long process, it’s certainly worth tuning in, because it’s a decision that has the potential to affect everyone in Colorado for many years to come.

The background: Now that the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee have agreed on a TV revenue-sharing deal, the door for a U.S. Olympic bid is once again open. First, the USOC has to decide if it wants to bid on the 2022 winter games, or if a bid for a subsequent summer Olympics is more important.

If a winter bid is in the cards, several communities around the U.S. will compete for the right to make that bid, with a 2013 deadline. A U.S. host city would then have contest for the right to host the games with several other cities around the world in a semi-secret and arcane process led by the Olympic wizards of the IOC.

In short, there’s still a long way to go.

I’ve been a huge Olympics fan ever since my Dad woke me up in the middle of the night in 1964 to watch the 100-meter dash finals at the 1964 Tokyo games. I love the international pageantry of the ceremonies and I respect and admire the Olympic ideal. Even though the Olympic movement has become slightly tarnished from time to time, I believe that, at its core, it still represents one of the best sides of humanity, no matter how much NBC tries to make a trite soap opera out of every event. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado | Tagged: 2022 winter olympics, Colorado Olympics bid, Denver Colorado Olympics, IOC, USOC, Winter Olympic Games | 5 Comments »