polarbear Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 ....according to the Anchorage Daily News: http://www.adn.com/2013/05/30/2921532/anchorage-to-explore-possible.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Wow, interesting revelation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaker2001 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Interesting indeed. Definitely would like to see what they have to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 I'd find the notion of an Alaska games intriguing. Can't wait to find out more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 If they were to come up with a good project, I'd say that they would trounce the other three 2026 U.S. winter hopefuls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningrings Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Indeed. If Summer USA in the 2020's isn't going to be- this sure would be an exciting alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissO Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 I don't know Anchorage and its area, so do not say it is not feasible to organize the Games here. I just check the size of the population... and saw that the size of the Metro is almost as big as the Annecy's area... So I don't say that it is not possible to organize the Games, but I'm surprise that no one is questioning this feasibility when a lot of people here were attacking the size of Annecy .... And I think that USOC is in the same situation as the French NOC... they will not bid for a Winter Games untill they would have organized a Summer Games ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Though Anchorage did preform better then Annecy. Didn;t the USOC want to build a training centre here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 I don't know Anchorage and its area, so do not say it is not feasible to organize the Games here. I just check the size of the population... and saw that the size of the Metro is almost as big as the Annecy's area... So I don't say that it is not possible to organize the Games, but I'm surprise that no one is questioning this feasibility when a lot of people here were attacking the size of Annecy .... And I think that USOC is in the same situation as the French NOC... they will not bid for a Winter Games untill they would have organized a Summer Games ! Umm, Anchorage itself is almost 300K, just slightly under Sochi's 330K. And I don't think that people here were "attacking" Annecy's size as much as they were questioning why France should host yet another winter games ahead of Germany that hosted only one back in the '30's & South Korea that never hosted a winter games. And while I might agree that the U.S. & France more likely want Summer Games next, unlike France that only has the logical choice of Paris, the USOC is trying to find out who, that's worth while, they could go with next. And it looks like they're finding out that its going to be a tougher task than they initially thought. With some big cities already saying no, & others not saying a word. Which brings the timing of this news piece so intriguing. Are the Alaskans also seeing that the USOC is finding a tough time finding that compelling Summer candidate & that's why they are now looking into this, knowing that the other interested U.S. winter parties all have their baggage. It's intriguing, to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissO Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 There is some nice sentences in the article and in the mayor's mind.... Mystrom said the television revenue Anchorage might take in would likely, by itself, cover the city's costs. Sullivan echoed that sentiment. "The goal is that you do not have to spend a significant amount of public money, between the support of the (U.S.) Olympic Committee, the International Committee, the television revenue and all the other ways you can raise money," Sullivan said. Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/05/30/2921532/anchorage-to-explore-possible.html#storylink=cpy TVs revenues.... IOC money.... they have to learn a lot about how the Games are finance... and when they will discover that they have to fund all capital investments without those sources of revenues, they could change their mind.... Plus, Alaska's geographical location and its time zone for TV broadcasts are also major selling points, the mayor said. Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/05/30/2921532/anchorage-to-explore-possible.html#storylink=cpy Really.... Anchorage is GMT-9 .... so not too bad for the US market.... but as awfull as Vancouver was for the European market... you know all those countries from the Alps with a winter tradition ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 No; not again. Their very geography vs. the lower 48 just works against them. Eventually, it'll come back to the same argument from last time. Anchorage is just TOO Far from the rest of the mainland. And it's never going to be a USOC training center because why should they...when you have Colorado, Tahoe, Lake Placid, Salt Lake...all within a few hours of each other and the bulk of the US population. Anchorage to Denver flights are 5.25 hours each way. Chicago - Anchorage is about 6.5 hours. Another pipe dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaker2001 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Didn;t the USOC want to build a training centre here? They thought about it. Back in the 1980s when the USOC was eyeing their next Winter Olympics after Lake Placid (which included the exact same 4 cities we're talking about now.. Denver, Salt Lake, Reno-Tahoe, and Anchorage), Anchorage got the nod to bid for the `92 and `94 Olympics. The idea was that it would create a new training base equidistant from both Europe and Asia. Eventually though the USOC came to their senses and realized it wasn't such a smart idea to put facilities that far removed from the continental U.S. and I think the Anchorage folks began to get cold feet once they saw what Calgary was spending on their Olympics. To baron's point, the same issues would probably present themselves this time around in terms of location. However.. where you have training and competition facilities in the lower 48 states and you're looking for justification to build things such as another sliding track, maybe it's not the worst idea to both literally and figuratively think outside the box and give Anchorage a look. I don't know how they'll stack up against the other 3, but it could have the type of X-factor those other cities would lack. Really.... Anchorage is GMT-9 .... so not too bad for the US market.... but as awfull as Vancouver was for the European market... you know all those countries from the Alps with a winter tradition ... And how much are those countries with all that winter tradition paying the IOC in television rights fees? As opposed to the US market which is paying $775 million for an Olympics in a very unfriendly timezone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 One of Anchorage's biggest obstacles is surely gonna be those dang environmentalists. Look at how they voice themselves in Sochi. So in a much more democratic country, they'll be even louder & more proactive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord David Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 ^^ Much like Reno is. But unlike Reno, if Anchorage offers the right bid plan, it might be the US selection for a bid. Come bid time, Anchorage would have: Sullivan Arena The new University of Anchorage Arena The ski resorts The cross country course Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center and William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center would serve as Main Press Center. A new venue would be needed for the International Broadcast Center. The fact that Vancouver has Ski Jumps and a Sliding Track would work against Anchorage. Perhaps Anchorage could use that multi-purpose arena idea for Speed Skating, Short Track and Figure Skating. Does Anchorage need a major 12,000 seater Arena? They could also get a legacy Football Stadium out of this. One of Anchorage's biggest obstacles is surely gonna be those dang environmentalists. Look at how they voice themselves in Sochi. So in a much more democratic country, they'll be even louder & more proactive. Coming from the land of Sarah Palin and her quest for oil, oil, oil? I think there would be more people voicing their concerns over venues such as the Ski Jump and Sliding Track that would probably end up as white elephants or be too costly for a lone event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Anchorage is intriguing and a whole lot more viable than Reno or Salt Lake City again. Anchorage v. Denver would be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 How far are the 800m slopes to the base city though? Even Boise would be more interesting...and closer....than Anchorage. I was stunned to read that article in 1986 when the Anchorage delegation had to travel to New York where the USOC was meeting. It said "...the Anchorage delegation arrived after a 12-HOUR flight." (I mean where are the SSTs when you need them??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gromit Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 How far are the 800m slopes to the base city though? Even Boise would be more interesting...and closer....than Anchorage. I was stunned to read that article in 1986 when the Anchorage delegation had to travel to New York where the USOC was meeting. It said "...the Anchorage delegation arrived after a 12-HOUR flight." (I mean where are the SSTs when you need them??) The Alyesha Resort is 42miles from Anchorage and has a total vertical of 975metres. 37% of its runs are listed as Black Runs so it clearly has the necessary level of difficulty for the Men's races. Alpenglow is a closer resort which could be used for the shorter alpine events, whilst Hilltop is within the city limits. There is actually a 60m hill built in 1983 here, and this could potentially serve as a the basis for the Ski Hill As for sliding events there has been research into temporary runs - this was actually a proposal in the Sion2006 bid and considering Turin have closed and are removing theirs, it could be turned into a potential advantage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deawebo Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Anchorage will be the nothernmost olympics, though a lot pf things will need to be build, Alaska gives everyone a "winter" impression, you can advertise good with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 The Alyesha Resort is 42miles from Anchorage and has a total vertical of 975metres. 37% of its runs are listed as Black Runs so it clearly has the necessary level of difficulty for the Men's races. Alpenglow is a closer resort which could be used for the shorter alpine events, whilst Hilltop is within the city limits. There is actually a 60m hill built in 1983 here, and this could potentially serve as a the basis for the Ski Hill As for sliding events there has been research into temporary runs - this was actually a proposal in the Sion2006 bid and considering Turin have closed and are removing theirs, it could be turned into a potential advantage Do those ski spots get included in the int'l circuit of events? How is the removal of Torino's bobsled run considered an 'advantage'?? And if you consider the death of what's-his-name in Vancouver, the insurance coverage alone for the B.S. runs probably outweighs any cost savings in building a temporary track. If anything should be removed from the Winter slate, it should be Bobsled, Luge, Skeleton, etc. For bobsledding, it's usually the dozen 15 richest (winter) countries of the planet anyway who compete in it. (And of course Jamaica just made a "colorful" footnote for history -- nothing else.) Regardless of everything else, Anchorage is still too far from the other 304 million people of the US. Besides, we've already had too much of all that 'Eskimo/Aleutian' motifs for winter Opening Ceremonies for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord David Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Jamaica made a colourful footnote? Nothing else? Think of all the other tropical and non bobsleigh nations that have competed since 1988, thanks to Jamaica paving the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gromit Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Do those ski spots get included in the int'l circuit of events? How is the removal of Torino's bobsled run considered an 'advantage'?? And if you consider the death of what's-his-name in Vancouver, the insurance coverage alone for the B.S. runs probably outweighs any cost savings in building a temporary track. If anything should be removed from the Winter slate, it should be Bobsled, Luge, Skeleton, etc. For bobsledding, it's usually the dozen 15 richest (winter) countries of the planet anyway who compete in it. (And of course Jamaica just made a "colorful" footnote for history -- nothing else.) Regardless of everything else, Anchorage is still too far from the other 304 million people of the US. Besides, we've already had too much of all that 'Eskimo/Aleutian' motifs for winter Opening Ceremonies for awhile. Were the Sochi ski spots on the International circuit .... were the Pyeongchang ones on the circuit? I think you'll find they are only on the circuit AFTER the games have been awarded As for the bobsleigh run - because its a white elephant at sites, the IOC will likely not frown on a temp solution for which the technology exists as they might have done in the past. Anyway if the USA and Canada bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, North America won't be holding the games (Istanbul/Euro2020) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Ya building sliding track in Anchroage is going to be a hard sell at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 No; not again. Sound's like somebody is feeling their pet host being in danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Sound's like somebody is feeling their pet host being in danger. No. Not really. The geography hasn't changed since the mid-90s when that is what the USOC decided was their main beef against Anchorage. It's still so many HOURS distant from the centers of US lower 48 winter sports centers. Or unless you know something about tectonic shifts and continental drifts that I don't know?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Ya building sliding track in Anchroage is going to be a hard sell at best. Keep in mind that *notbody* needs a sliding track. Except for the few places that can borrow an old track, every possible host has to deal with the cost of an unneeded track, so it's not really a disadvantage for Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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