Chicago’s failed Olympics bid could affect Nevada’s efforts

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 | 12:19 p.m.

Representatives of the Reno-Tahoe Winter Sports Coalition hope to learn within weeks how Chicago’s failed bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games would affect efforts to attract the Winter Olympics to Nevada and California.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, chairman of the coalition, said it’s too early to tell how today’s decision to award the 2016 Games to Rio de Janeiro would play out locally.

“We now need to see where the U.S. (Olympic) Committee is on this,” Krolicki said. “All their energies have been focused on the Chicago bid.”

The Reno-Tahoe coalition’s efforts have been in a holding pattern while members awaited the International Olympic Committee’s decision on the 2016 Games. The coalition has done some preliminary work to identify potential venues in the Lake Tahoe area and gathered support from tourism leaders in Northern Nevada and Northern California.

Initially, the coalition was eyeing developing a bid for the 2018 Winter Games, but earlier this year, the U.S. Olympic Committee said it did not expect the United States would bid for 2018. That meant the next opportunity would come up for the 2022 Winter Games.

But now that Chicago has been eliminated, Krolicki said his organization would wait and see if the U.S. committee would reconsider bidding in 2018. Another possible scenario is that Chicago could assemble a bid to host the 2020 Summer Games, which, if successful, would likely take a U.S. Winter bid off the table for 2022.

Chicago spent an estimated $40 million to prepare its bid, which was capped with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama making presentations to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the selection was made.

Rio de Janeiro was the sentimental favorite for 2016 because South America has never hosted an Olympic event. Tokyo and Madrid also were in the running for the bid with Chicago and Rio.

“Rio de Janeiro’s selection is historical and we congratulate them on bringing the Games to South America for the first time,” Krolicki said in a congratulatory release issued by the coalition this morning. “Chicago put forth a tremendous effort on behalf of the U.S. Olympic movement during the entire bid process. Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan led a team that represented our country with great credibility and enthusiasm.”

Coalition CEO Jon Killoran, who was in Copenhagen when the selection was announced, added that “the president and first lady certainly created an electric atmosphere during the final presentation but it just wasn’t to be for Chicago in the end. The Chicago 2016 committee’s efforts, as well as those of the city’s residents brought great credit to our country and its role in international sports. Their heads should be held high.”

The Nevada coalition’s efforts are designed to put the Reno-Tahoe area on the map as an international winter sports destination. The group intends to develop a business model similar to the plan established by Salt Lake City, which hosted the 2002 Winter Games.

Krolicki said those games were highly acclaimed by participants and spectators and they were profitable, making an estimated $100 million and leaving behind infrastructure that Utah residents continue to use.

The selection of the 2018 Games site is expected to be made next year. The International Olympic Committee likes to give cities seven or eight years of lead time to prepare for one of the showcase events in international sports competition.

Squaw Valley, Calif., hosted the Winter Games in 1960, the second ever hosted by the United States. Other U.S. cities hosting Winter Games were Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1932 and 1980 and Salt Lake City.

The 2010 Games will be in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the 2014 Games are scheduled in Sochi, Russia.