Las Vegas venues would add oomph to Northern Nevada bid for Winter Olympics

CARSON CITY — The Lake Tahoe area still dreams of hosting its second Winter Olympics. And the International Olympic Committee’s new push for regional bids could give Las Vegas an important role in any Northern Nevada proposal to host the sports showcase.

“We believe that Lake Tahoe will be the site of the next Winter Olympics in the U.S.,” said former Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who has been leading the effort to bring the games to the state for more than a decade as chairman of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition. “It is our goal and our hope. But it is complicated.”

Jon Killoran, chief executive officer for the coalition, said the IOC issued a policy called Agenda 2020, which urges bidding cities to minimize infrastructure costs through regional efforts.

Nevada’s opportunity to host a Winter Games — perhaps as soon as 2026 — has been enhanced by the opening of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, soon to be home of the city’s new National Hockey League franchise, as well a potential new 65,000-seat domed stadium in the city.

More than one facility would be needed for the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey tournaments, so Orleans Arena and the MGM Grand Garden also could be viable venues, Killoran said.

A stadium, if one is built to serve as a new home for the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders, could serve as a competition venue, a site for opening and closing ceremonies or a logistical asset, Killoran said. With the stadium and its exact location still not finalized, it is too early to say what specific role it could play, he said.

APPETITE FOR CURLING

Southern Nevada is no stranger to hosting events featured at the Winter Olympics.

Curling, an Olympic sport in which players slide stones toward a target on a long sheet of ice, has been well-received in Las Vegas. The Northern Nevada committee hosted the 2016 World Financial Group Continental Cup at Orleans Arena, which attracted more than 62,000 spectators and smashed the all-time U.S. attendance record for a curling competition.

Killoran said Orleans has been a tremendous partner in helping raise the winter sport’s profile in Las Vegas. The arena is hosting January’s edition of the World Financial Group Continental Cup and the 2018 world men’s curling championship.

Other Olympic events that could conceivably be held in Las Vegas include figure skating — men’s and women’s singles, pairs and team competitions and ice dancing — speed skating and short-track speed skating.

Alpine skiing and other mountain events would be hosted in the Tahoe area. The Sacramento and San Francisco areas offer other potential sites for events, organizers say.

“Regionalism is part of the bidding process going forward,” Krolicki said. “The IOC is not interested in building infrastructure that has a life span of 16 days.

“You need nine world-class sheets of ice to host the Winter Games. The Truckee Meadows does not need nine world-class sheets of ice.”

‘MAKES SENSE’ FOR CLARK COUNTY

Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said he would welcome any regional effort to host the games and put facilities in Southern Nevada to use.

“It makes sense to make it statewide,” said Sisolak, a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2018. “One problem with the Games is that they build massive facilities for two weeks that aren’t used effectively afterward.”

The chance to host such a prestigious event would ensure that any sectional rivalries that might exist in the state would be put aside, Sisolak said.

“It’s a great idea,’ he said. “If we can help in any way, we will do so.”

While the Northern Nevada coalition continues to work to secure a Winter Olympics, any decision to submit a bid to the U.S. Olympic Committee is on the back burner until the U.S. effort to bring the 2024 Summer Games to Los Angeles is determined.

“Our group, as always, totally supports the U.S. Olympic Committee,” Krolicki said. “They want to put all our balls in one basket, as they should.”

AWAITING SUMMER GAMES OUTCOME

If Los Angeles wins out over Budapest and Paris in September, the United States isn’t likely to bid for or win a Winter Games in 2026, Krolicki said. If Los Angeles is not the choice, he said, the Tahoe group will be ready to submit a proposal for the 2026 Winter Games, should the U.S. Olympic Committee decide to pursue the opportunity. The committee could also try again for the Summer Games in 2028, however, which would further delay a bid for a Winter Games.

If a bid for the 2026 Winter Games was approved, Nevada would be in competition with several other U.S. venues, potentially including Lake Placid, New York; Anchorage, Alaska; and Denver. Any U.S. pick would then go on to compete with other countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Canada.

Killoran said he has learned two important lessons in the years he has dedicated to hosting a Winter Olympics. The first is patience. Winning the games takes time, he said.

The other is that any such effort has to be ongoing.

“You can’t just flit in and flit out of the process and gain any traction,” he said.

The coalition has built credibility in part because it has become financially self-sustaining by hosting major sporting events, including the Las Vegas curling competitions, Killoran said.

TAHOE POLISHES RESUME

Lake Tahoe resorts are also getting back into the game of hosting high-profile winter sports events.

Squaw Valley, which held the 1960 Winter Olympics, is hosting the Audi FIS World Cup from March 9 through March 12, the first World Cup alpine ski racing in California in 19 years.

Killoran said Northern Nevada already has much of the infrastructure needed to host the games, including hotel rooms and services.

A coalition study in 2009 found that there were more accommodations for people in the Reno-Carson City area than Salt Lake City had when it hosted the Winter Games in 2002, he said.

Any Winter Olympics bid that includes world-famous destinations like Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and Las Vegas would be hard to beat, Killoran said.

“These are iconic places of interest to travelers worldwide,” he said.

If the quest does come to fruition, the games won’t look anything like the 1960 version held at Squaw Valley.

About 350 athletes competed in those games. Now, more than 3,000 athletes compete, and the winter sports world has expanded to include events like snowboarding that attract a more youthful audience.

“We’re in it for the long haul,” Killoran said. “Those seeking the games in the 1980s and 1990s were the bricklayers for us. If we’re the bricklayers for the next generation, I have made peace with that.”

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter.