Salt Lake Gets 2030 Games, But Colo. Anti-Olympics Movement Grows

DENVER, CO – By Alex Burness for The Colorado Independent. Colorado lost out in its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to its only competitor on Friday, as the United States Olympic Committee tapped Salt Lake City to represent the country in competition for the 2030 games.

The exploratory committee in Colorado lamented the choice, while the robust community of anti-Olympics skeptics rejoiced at the news. “Christmas has come early!” tweeted Denver City Council candidate Tony Pigford.

But Friday’s USOC decision doesn’t bring an end to the local political drama concerning the Olympics. There’s still a good chance Denverites will be voting on the matter in May.

The group behind the Let Denver Vote ballot effort says it’s not pulling its measure, and will continue collecting signatures in hopes of qualifying for next year’s municipal election. The group, which is led by neighborhood activists, lawyers, a City Council candidate and former Gov. Dick Lamm — who almost 50 years ago led an effort to thwart the 1976 games in Colorado — formed to make sure any pursuit of the 2030 Winter Games would occur only if the games could be guaranteed to be privately funded and approved by voters.

For all but one modern Olympics, taxpayers in the host cities and regions have been responsible for covering the games’ cost overruns, which is perhaps the biggest reason so few cities are jazzed anymore about hosting; that Denver and Colorado were vying this time around against just one other candidate speaks to the International Olympic Committee’s recent failure to drum up excitement among potential hosts.

READ MORE in The Colorado Independent

(Photo via ODC/Creative Commons)