DENVER — Colorado’s powerbrokers are meeting with United States Olympic Committee leaders in Denver Tuesday, trying to keep a Denver bid for the 2030 Winter Games alive despite opposition from Governor-Elect Jared Polis.
Denver is now one of two U.S. cities vying for the 2030 Winter Games, after the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition pulled its bid Monday, a move first reported by the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Salt Lake City is the other potential site for an American bid.
9NEWS has learned USOC leaders are in Denver for a site visit Tuesday, including a late-day meeting with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. The Democrat is one of two honorary co-chairs of Denver’s exploratory committee.
Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is the other honorary co-chair. His spokesperson told 9NEWS he attended Tuesday's meeting.
Rob Cohen, the chair of the exploratory committee, confirmed the meeting in a statement late Tuesday afternoon. He said officials met with USOC to discuss the details of a report he and his fellow committee members released over the summer, which recommended Denver pursue the Olympic bid:
"The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is working to identify a host partner for a future Winter Games in 2030 or beyond, and we met with USOC members in Denver today as part of a site visit. The meeting gave us an opportunity to share our vision for how we could host a world-class, privately funded Winter Games in our state, as well as to share comprehensive operational and financial details that were included in the Denver and Colorado Olympic and Paralympic Exploratory Committee Final Report released this past summer."
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Colorado’s Governor-Elect Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has said he would not support bringing the Olympics to Colorado. In a June debate on 9NEWS, Polis said he didn’t think Denver should even continue pursuing a bid.
“These are like fun things for millionaires and business people but it leaves the rest of us with the debt and the price tag,” Polis said.
A spokeswoman said Polis was not attending today’s meetings with USOC dignitaries.