A member of the Colorado committee exploring a possible future Winter Games bid said the group would create a "new paradigm about how you can do the Olympics," according to Jason Blevins of the DENVER POST. Former Denver Metro Sports Commission Chair Steve McConahey, who is on the committee, said that if Colorado can host a "privately financed Olympics without government subsidies and guarantees ... more cities around the world could see a new path toward hosting" the Winter Games. The committee, which is "officially only exploring the possibility" of hosting the '30 or '26 Games, visited Steamboat Springs’ Olympian Hall yesterday. McConahey said, "We should do this and make sure the world knows we are doing this the Colorado way, not the IOC way." Blevins: "Can Colorado really privately fund an Olympics?" With L.A. hosting the '28 Summer Games, an American host of the Winter Games in '26 or '30 "would need to reach some sort of agreement on shared sponsorship support with L.A." (DENVER POST, 3/22). In Colorado, Joel Reichenberger in a front-page piece notes McConahey was "one of a trio of Olympics proponents who briefed the gathering of local leaders on the progress and process of a Denver Olympic bid." The exploratory committee is "currently pushing ahead with a bid." The meeting was the "last of six scheduled with mountain communities that could play a part in Colorado's Olympics." The next step is for a report from the meetings to "go to the exploratory committee later this month." From there, the committee "will decide whether or not to make a recommendation" to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. They will then "decide in the first half of May whether or not Colorado should pursue a bid" (STEAMBOAT TODAY, 3/22).
