Winter Olympics bid wouldn't burden Denver

28 Jun 2012, 3:09 pm   -   Source: AAP

Denver are planning to bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics and say the hosting rights wouldn't burden taxpayers.

A Denver group looking at bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics says the bid wouldn't burden taxpayers.

The exploratory committee concluded on Wednesday that Denver would be in a "very good position" to seek the games.

Communities around Lake Tahoe, California, have already expressed interest in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

A bid for the 2022 games would be due in late 2013, with the announcement of the host coming in 2015. The bidding process would cost between $US27 million ($A26.87 million) and $45 million, said Anne Warhover, the co-chair of the exploratory committee. Those costs would be covered by private sponsors and not with state money, the committee said.

However, if Denver were to host the games, the city would be responsible for some costs, such as security and transportation. It's too soon to say how much the costs would be, and for what. But the committee said the city could follow the model from when Denver hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention and that there could be federal support.

The committee said in a report that hosting the Olympics has "proven to be a viable and financially successful enterprise" and that any costs Denver would incur from hosting would be "far eclipsed by the positive economic benefits."

Denver was awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, but voters later rejected the idea over concerns about pollution and sprawl. Those games were eventually held in Innsbruck, Austria.

Warhover said a lot of time has passed since then and insisted that a large number of voters are in favour of hosting the games.

The committee also noted that although New York failed to get the 2012 Olympics, its bid "led to tremendous infrastructure improvements."

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Olympic Committee postponed its quarterly board meeting scheduled for Thursday after 40 members of its staff were forced to evacuate their homes because of wildfires burning near Colorado Springs.

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