COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – With the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games just months away, all eyes are on Olympic City USA.
On Monday, stakeholders from the Pikes Peak region met to discuss the state of Colorado Springs’ sports economy. Leading the discussion were Megan Leatham, CEO of Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, and John Mason, vice president of strategic communications for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
While discussing the sports economy in Springs, 11 News asked, “Could Colorado Springs host the Olympics?”
So Sports Corporation and city officials say it's still not complete. But they also said, “Never say never.”
To host the Olympics, the city must start with an invitation to the International Olympic Committee.
Sports Corporation sports tourism manager Davis Tutt said there were several factors contributing to the success of the bid. One thing he does is he can host events at large sports venues.
Tutt said Colorado Springs already has several venues that bring in a lot of fans and a lot of revenue.
“With the addition of Ed Robson Arena to the University of Colorado campus, Widener Field, the Air Force Academy, has undergone years of renovations and another great venue. [Olympic and Paralympic Training Center] Or World Arena. We can provide a variety of services. [National Governing Bodies] We accommodate all types of events,” Tutt said.
He said Colorado Springs' sports infrastructure has improved significantly over the past few years, something that will be discussed on Monday.
However, he said the city lacks two key facilities to host the Olympics.
“One is a city-owned or managed convention center in the heart of downtown,” Tutt said. “The other is an indoor sports and event center.”
He also said the city needs to be able to provide housing for athletes traveling to the Springs. Although the city currently does not have the capacity to accommodate traveling players, Tutt said the training center still receives a large number of players who come to the Springs for training. He said it will host more than 10,000 athletes in 2023.
Mr Tutt said sports tourism collectively generates more than $1 billion in impact and contributes to the local economy.
That's a tailwind, but the city would need to spend $5 billion to $10 billion to host the Olympics, he said.
He said a more realistic scenario could be for Denver to host the Winter Olympics, with Colorado Springs involved in hosting them. He said hosting is a community effort and that Vail and Breckenridge will also participate in the hosting effort.
However, Denver is the only city to successfully bid for host city and then decline. Tutt said the city voted against hosting the Olympics in 1976.
The next Olympics set by the United States is scheduled to be held in Los Angeles in 2028, and with Salt Lake City in the running to host the event in 2034, Olympic City won't be hosting the Olympics anytime soon.
But in the meantime, SportsCorp said it is still working to make Springs a more attractive city for large organizations to host games. And city officials told 11 News they're proud of being an Olympic city and the boost it brings through branding.
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