CanisMinor Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 I think Athensfans concerns about Reno are spot on. Yes, you can put lipstick on a pig, and make the city appear all Olympian, but the problem is the bid leadership. The leadership of a Reno bid will be the same folk that market their city as a tacky bordello and casino. That spirit will seep through in the actual Games no matter how many banners are up. Just look to Atlanta and see how the southern county fair atmosphere came through. Denver, well, just like others I believe Denver is delusional. Hosting the games is a privelege. I'd love to see the WOGs in the US again, but if Denver is the US candidate, I will campaign against them. Sorry Denver, you don't get a do-over. As to other cities, I am at a loss. I think Anchorage is too far north. Is Portland or Jackson Hole an option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 I think Athensfans concerns about Reno are spot on. Yes, you can put lipstick on a pig, and make the city appear all Olympian, but the problem is the bid leadership. The leadership of a Reno bid will be the same folk that market their city as a tacky bordello and casino. That spirit will seep through in the actual Games no matter how many banners are up. Just look to Atlanta and see how the southern county fair atmosphere came through. Well, what was Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the 30s? The Nazis' winter playground. So which is more unconscionable? A once-bordello town trying to better itself or the bunny slopes of a demented, murderours regime? (Yeah, I know it's hindsight but still Reno deserves a chance...even more so that Denver.) BTW, the Reno-Tahoe Coalition was the only winter wannabee that bought a table at the LA Games' 25th anniv. dinner. That says quite a bit to the USOC leadership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stir.ts Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Jackson is a fantastic mountain resort, and throw in Yellowstone and it's about as grand as a natural environment can get, but it's a really small town! Portland is a great city and could easily host all the indoor events (with the typical Olympic development), the alpine events would have to be on Mt, Hood, which would be challenging as the resorts are small, but it's a great peak and might be possibility, but would require extensive moutain development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Plus, that could be the core of Reno's bid...an urban renewal...an upgrade to a more deluxe town much as there's more to Vegas now than just gambling. And that could be a compelling argument for a Reno bid. We know how much the IOC loves those urban renewals! Denver I just can't see. I think the people of Colorado would go against another bid. And I just don't see what's the big fuss others are making about having the most attractive city for a Winter Olympics. It's not the Summer Games here. It's not like Salt Lake, Nagano, Turin & Sochi are anything to speak of. Turin is an industrial town & Sochi is some washed-up, dated black sea resort town that hardly had anything going for it before they won their bid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddavenport Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Denver-The obvious choice. They've got most of the infrastructure in place and is a great international city. Reno/Tahoe-I just don't see them hosting a WOG. It's basically just a casino/ski town. Anchorage-As cool as it may be, I just don't see a Alaskan games anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stir.ts Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Denver-The obvious choice. They've got most of the infrastructure in place and is a great international city. Reno/Tahoe-I just don't see them hosting a WOG. It's basically just a casino/ski town. Anchorage-As cool as it may be, I just don't see a Alaskan games anytime soon. Denver is way way way beyond capable, but as other have mentioned do they really want it??? I LOVE Denver, but sometimes the people are a little standoffish. I don't think they are particularly welcoming of outsiders, especially if their "good life' is interrupted in any way. The are not particularly liberal, and might be willing to snub again as opposed to share their great wealth. It would probably end up some sort of pissing contest. If the IOC a-holes were given the change to either trust Denver or settle the score, I'm thinkin' many would go for the later. As of today... IOC - 0 Denver - 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Well, what was Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the 30s? The Nazis' winter playground. So which is more unconscionable? A once-bordello town trying to better itself or the bunny slopes of a demented, murderours regime? (Yeah, I know it's hindsight but still Reno deserves a chance...even more so that Denver.) BTW, the Reno-Tahoe Coalition was the only winter wannabee that bought a table at the LA Games' 25th anniv. dinner. That says quite a bit to the USOC leadership. The Olympics have changed so much since the 30's that the comparison seems a bit extreme. I wil give Reno this much: they have expressed sincere interest over a sustained period of time. Interest in itself, however, is not an indication of competent leadership. Buying a table at an anniversary dinner is a nice gesture, but it really doesn't say anything about the strength of a prospective bid. I still think the best argument is the following: hosting the Olympic Games is a rare and wonderful opportunity that does not come around very often. Does the U.S. really want to use the opportunity to put Reno in the limelight? Why not wait for the opportunity to showcase our very best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Nice post. I do think, though, you underestimate your fellow Americans' attention spans with the Olympics. I really think when it comes down to it, just the fact of following your Team US, with its proud history, will always be a drawcard, even or especially if they are battling it out on foreign fields. I also feel in some ways having "too much of a good thing" could possibly even be more of an enthusiasm damper than too few hostings. What makes the Olympics so special to host in countries like my own, and I'm sure most others, is that it really IS a Once In A Lifetime event, a celebration you'll likely never be able to experience again in your homeland, and how this even more makes your homeland the subject of keen world attention, without familiarity breeding disinterest. Maybe, in hindsight, it was just a bit too much to have so many games in the US, in such a short period of time, from Lake Placid 1980 through to SLC 2002. It has led to too much of a sense of expectation and entitlement and less that it is a rare and precious event. I agree that the close proximity of Lake Placid, LA, Atlanta and Salt Lake was unprecedented and set up unrealistic expectations for some Americans. I hope you are right about American audiences and sponsors not losing interest if the U.S. goes 30 or 40 years before hosting again. The fact is that the U.S. is a sporting nation and there are many other events competing for attention. Audiences and sponsors will simply give more attention and respect to the plethora of lucrative domestic sports. Please do not confuse a desire to host the Games with a "sense of expectation and entitlement." There is nothing wrong with wanting to host. There is nothing wrong with bidding or with strategizing in an attempt to achieve success. There IS something wrong with the attitude that "the IOC owes us." I will never agree with that line of thinking. The IOC can go wherever they choose for whatever reasons they choose. Some choices may seem better than others, but that is their affair. All we can do is our best. The fact is that Americans love sports, love the Olympic Games, have a positive legacy of hosting, the funds to do so again, strong infrastructure and many existing venues in a wide variety of cities. I believe that the U.S. has the most to offer the Olympic Movement with a classy, spectacular Summer Games -- 2024 at the earliest and I hope not later than 2036 (40 years after Atlanta). It is precisely because I believe the U.S. is NOT entitled to host the Games that I think a 2022 Winter Bid is foolish. Some have argued that the U.S. could host in 2022 and still mount a competitive bid for 2032. I find this totally unbelievable. That thinking is founded on unrealistic expectations. I think we get ONE shot for the next three or four decades and I don't want it to be Reno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Do you think the IOC would frown upon a multi-city name like Reno-Tahoe? Would it just have to be Reno? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stir.ts Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 What's to be gained from holding the Olympics in fully developed US cities? Just to have a huge party? I like the idea of getting something out of the games besides the tears of pride, overblown theatrics, great temporary competition, braging rights and a few lingering olympic symbols. The US has had its share of games, if we bid again why not in a city who has major growth potential from them, like Reno. If we lose......so what! We don't owe the world NY, LA, or Denver. And none of those places need the kind of development the big Owe can bring. Places like Reno could actually benefit long term, it's worth the risk. By the way, it's funny how a couple people refer to this area of the Sierra as a small ski town. We're talking Mega resorts, multi million dollar homes and alpine development as extensive as any on earth. Also for the record, though Tahoe is MAJOR international ski destination, it's actualy even busier in Summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Do you think the IOC would frown upon a multi-city name like Reno-Tahoe? Would it just have to be Reno? Yeah, I think history shows pretty clearly that it has to be a single city host. Either Reno or Lake Tahoe. If they could find a way to make it the Lake Tahoe Games, I would think the bid would have a much stronger chance, but this is a stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Do you think the IOC would frown upon a multi-city name like Reno-Tahoe? Would it just have to be Reno? Well, there is/was Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The U.S. has always had multi-worded Winter Olympic sites: Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, Salt Lake. Maybe Reno-Lake Tahoe might be too much...so the IOC might make an exception with Reno-Tahoe. Yeah, I think history shows pretty clearly that it has to be a single city host. Either Reno or Lake Tahoe. If they could find a way to make it the Lake Tahoe Games, I would think the bid would have a much stronger chance, but this is a stretch. It's all semantics. They go by the submitted name of the NOC plus the urban core where the ice/arena events will be held. Whoever heard of Sochi before? Certainly many have heard of Reno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 The IOC does not allow multi-city bid names. The IOC Charter states that only ONE city can host. That's why "Vancouver-Whistler" had to become just "Vancouver". The same has gone with other bids like "Washington-Baltimore" 2012 to just Washington 2012. "Lake Tahoe" wouldn't fly either cause the bid has to be called by a CITY name. That's why the "Bay Area" 2012 had to become San Francisco 2012 & why "Florida" 2012 was dead in the water from the begining. It's stupid to have dual names anyway. Every other town that's involved in a bid would then want their dumb name on it to. Before you know it, we'd have bid names as long as sentences. The core host city should be the name (the way it is now) & that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 The IOC does not allow multi-city bid names. The IOC Charter states that only ONE city can host. That's why "Vancouver-Whistler" had to become just "Vancouver". The same has gone with other bids like "Washington-Baltimore" 2012 to just Washington 2012. "Lake Tahoe" wouldn't fly either cause the bid has to be called by a CITY name. That's why the "Bay Area" 2012 had to become San Francisco 2012 & why "Florida" 2012 was dead in the water from the begining. It's stupid to have dual names anyway. Every other town that's involved in a bid would then want their dumb name on it to. Before you know it, we'd have bid names as long as sentences. The core host city should be the name (the way it is now) & that's it. I knew that. Was just trying to bend a little of their long-time, archaic rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 I wasn't directing that at you, Baron. Just answering the question that someone else posed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Buying a table at an anniversary dinner is a nice gesture, but it really doesn't say anything about the strength of a prospective bid. Well, losing Chicago wasn't even in sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Does the U.S. really want to use the opportunity to put Reno in the limelight? Why not wait for the opportunity to showcase our very best? Well, we've already tried to showcase our very best, TWICE now (New York & Chicago), & the IOC didn't bite. So why not give it a try now with Reno in the Winter category. Or, we can always give them.. TULSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTimeOnly Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 "Lake Tahoe" wouldn't fly either cause the bid has to be called by a CITY name. Well, Squaw Valley wasn't a city. But otherwise, I agree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord David Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Nor was Lake Placid, it'll probably end up as just Reno. As the ice events would be held there along with the IBC, MPC, much of the hotel infrastructure and it's airport will be the gateway for the Olympics. Yep Lake Tahoe will be the site for Alpine events, but it'll be under a Reno Winter Olympics. The 2010 Vancouver Games weren't called the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, even though some alpine events were held at Whistler, the same will be for Reno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 A look back at how Anchorage almost hosted the Olympics by John Carpenter Thursday, February 11, 2010 VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The city of Vancouver, British Columbia has worked long and hard to prepare for the Winter Games and that effort is about to pay off. As Vancouver shines on the world's stage for the next two-and-a-half weeks, back in Anchorage, some folks will watch and wonder, "Why couldn't Anchorage host the winter Olympics?" While the world's biggest winter sports celebration takes place in British Columbia's biggest city, some 1,300 miles to the north, a group of people from Anchorage will watch the games and once again think of what could have been. Read Full Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Reno-Tahoe 2022 Olympic Bid Gets "Shot In The Arm" Games Bids January 14, 2010 When the United States Olympic Committee leadership - including newly appointed CEO Scott Blackmum - revealed Wednesday that they would consider a U.S. bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition immediately shifted into gear. Jon Killoran, CEO of the bid Coalition spoke to GamesBids.com shortly after the news broke, barely containing his excitement. "That's very energizing and motivating - we've got a lot of great things going on here right now so the timing is perfect.", he said The region is currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics and special ceremonies are underway. Read Full Article Olympics - Region looks toward 2022 - Feb. 27, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Anchorage did do much better for '94 than '92, but relatively speaking, they still kinda bombed. Anchrage actually lost a vote in the 2nd '94 vote round, & all of Sofia's votes went on to go to Ostersund & Lillehammer. And really, why did the USOC even bother for '92, when '88 was already going to be North America (Calgary). That was just dumb. Environmentalists would have a field day against an Anchorage bid, too. And the IOC a lot of times go running to the losing bid cities & telling them that next time it's "their turn" (they told Toronto that, too) Of course it is. The IOC wants your dumb ass to come back & bid & play with them in the sand box right before they throw sand in your face. They don't place nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 What kind of stadia does Reno have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 I don't think the opening ceremony has changed much since Squaw Valley 1960... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 What kind of stadia does Reno have? I think Ceremonies might be held at Mackay Stadium at UN-Reno. Right now seats 31,000+. Other Reno arenas: http://www.worldstadiums.com/north_america/countries/united_states/nevada.shtml And here's the Reno-Tahoe coalition's site: http://renotahoewintergames.org/ I think a long-track s/skating arena will have to be built and perhaps another one for hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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