Sacramento Emerges As Major Player For Potential '22 Winter Olympics Bid

Within hours of the NBA Kings downtown arena proposal's passage, Sacramento "publicly emerged as a significant player in the Reno-Tahoe bid" for the '22 Winter Olympics, according to Ailene Voisin of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Nevada Lt. Gov. and Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition Chair Brian Krolicki, speaking at a journalist's convention Wednesday in Lake Tahoe, "identified Sacramento as an important partner in the Olympic bid and a possible site for figure skating, hockey or other events." The USOC BOD can "vote to authorize a bid as early as this year." Salt Lake City and Lake Placid, New York, are "expected to submit bids, but Denver is widely regarded as Reno-Tahoe's major competition." Krolicki said, "Our effort is totally contingent upon the USOC deciding to enter a bid, and if they reach that conclusion, we want to be ready. We're working daily on planning, venue and transportation analysis, financial obligations." Krolicki "believes a Reno-Tahoe bid could come in under" $5M and be "paid for by private and corporate contributions." He said that the overall expense will be "dictated by the venues -- those that exist and those that need to be constructed -- which suddenly makes Sacramento so appealing" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 3/11). In S.F., Al Saracevic noted some "big corporate muscle has also joined the party." Vail Resorts is "fully engaged," and the company's co-President Blaise Carrig has joined the Olympic Committee, as has Squaw Valley CEO Andy Wirth. The USOC and IOC are "negotiating a revenue sharing agreement for any future Games." USOC Chief Communications Officer Patrick Sandusky said, "After our last two Summer Games bids failed, the USOC looked at the issues, one of which was the revenue sharing with the IOC. We decided to go into negotiations with the IOC about that. Until those negotiations are complete, we will not be considering any future bids" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/11).