Tahoe Region Explores bid possibilities for 2022 Olympics

Fifty-two years after the Olympic flame was first ignited in the Tahoe region, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki announced the formation of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee (LTWGEC) on April 5th, a new joint California Nevada initiative to develop an Olympic Bid for the 2022 Winter Games. "Our new committee is the evolution of years of work by many people, and if the United States Olympic Committee decides to bid on the 2022 Winter Games, we will be ready to showcase the Tahoe region's scenic majesty and winter games capabilities", Krolicki said in a statement.
The new committee, LTWGEC, is an entity created by the leadership of two separate organizations that were set up to explore a potential bid for the Tahoe Region. The two organizations—the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition and the California Winter Games Committee—joined by the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee, will now be committing their significant resources to the LTWGEC. The Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee will be tasked with creating a group of business, civic and political leaders that will work to explore the benefits and impacts of hosting the Olympic Games in the Lake Tahoe Region. According to Krolicki and Newsom, the new group's leadership will be announced in the coming weeks—including an environmental leadership team. Andy Wirth, CEO and president at Squaw Valley, will serve as interim chair of the committee.
Tamara McKinney, a three-time Olympian from Squaw Valley who has been helping efforts to bring the Games back to the Lake Tahoe area, said the 1960 Olympic Games left a huge legacy that has shaped the area's development. "I live here, I grew up skiing these mountains, and I can genuinely say that we have some incredible mountains and areas to show the world, and it's all within a relatively short distance", said McKinney.
Salt Lake City and Denver also are vying for the 2022 Winter Games. U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Scott Blackmun said in February that Bozeman, Mont., also has expressed an interest in bidding for 2022. The U.S. Olympic Committee has to decide by 2013 whether to submit a formal bid and promote a single nominee for 2022.