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Bringing The Rings Back To Lake Tahoe

By J.D. O'Connor
April 02, 2007

It may be a while before we see it but it appears there is a serious effort underway to bring the Winter Olympics back to California's Reno-Tahoe area. And it appears they have friends in high places.

It appears that a local delegation hoping to bring the 2018 Winter Olympic Games to the Reno-Tahoe area have the support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agrees with supporters who say bringing the games back to Tahoe would have a significant beneficial impact on the area.

"We have the largest concentration of winter resorts in the world and the region offers an array of venues for sporting events as well as the technical facilities for broadcasting the Games," said Harry York, former chief executive officer of the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce and vice chair of the Winter Games committee.

York added the region enjoys a large corporate base, as well as a large ticket-buying base: "There are 13 million people within a four-hour drive," he said.

But wanting an Olympics is not getting an Olympics. Winning a bid for the 2018 Games could take a decade, with the U.S. Olympic Committee calling for statements of interest from interested cities 10 years before the Games' date, and USOC awards the Games to deserving venues seven years before the Games begin.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office has indicated that he would consider supporting the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition in its bid.

"The governor is always supportive of anything that would be of potential economic boost to California," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "He is currently working to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles and would consider any other events that would benefit California."

So far, the Tahoe Coalition has received $250,000 from the Nevada Legislature over the past two years and the group is looking for an equal amount from other sources. Supervisor Norma Santiago, who represents the Tahoe Basin, called for a resolution in support of the effort.

Jim Vanden Heuvel, the coalition's chief executive officer, estimates the region would need $1.6 billion in improvements to host the 2018 Games. Bobsled and luge runs, a ski jump and at least one indoor venue would have to be built, he said.

When Squaw Valley was awarded the 1960 Olympics, the resort had not yet been completed. A total of 30 nations sent athletes to compete in the '60 Games.

Vanden Heuvel, however, estimated about $1 billion of the cost could be funded from the sale of broadcast rights and international sponsorships. Grants for road and infrastructure improvements also could enhance the bid, he said.

"I think we're stronger in some areas than Salt Lake City was for the 2002 Winter Games," Vanden Heuvel said, noting that the region already has more than 35,000 hotel rooms -- double, he said, what Salt Lake City had before the games. "There are a lot of factors already in place."

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