Could we bid to host an upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games?

Should we bid to host an upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games?

And, is it possible to accomplish without taxpayer funding?

Answering these questions was the charge outlined by Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor John Hickenlooper when they seated an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee this past December and Taloma Partners was honored to play a role serving as the project manager. It was an intensive 6-month process. During that time, five subcommittees – Games Operations, Finance, Legal, Community & Civic Engagement and Communications – took a deep dive in researching and completed a robust outreach effort across the metro area and mountain communities.

And when we say robust, we mean it! The Exploratory Committee:

• • Organized more than 85 steering, committee, and subcommittee meetings
  • Solicited input from 9,511 Coloradans via an online survey
  • Hosted 2 online community meetings
  • Connected with 1,700 individuals via a speaker’s bureau

Additionally:

• • • 65 individuals in the Denver Metro Area were involved in the Sharing the Gold Advisory, a broad-based group from different walks of life who shared their opinions regarding the benefits and challenges of hosting the Winter Games.
    • 200 folks attended Sharing the Gold gatherings in five locations in Colorado mountain communities.
    • A statistically-relevant, statewide poll found that a majority of voters (61% statewide) favor hosting a Winter Games, with even greater support in Denver (65%) and Eagle
      County (76%).

In the end, the Exploratory Committee – and each of the subcommittees – answered the questions above with a resounding YES.

Their collective work resulted in a report of over 200 pages which details information about many aspects of a potential bid, including the important question of how to privately finance the games. The Exploratory Committee also recommended that Colorado voters play a role in the final decision, suggesting a statewide ballot measure as soon as 2020.

Taloma Partners is proud to have been part of this thoughtful and impressive effort. We are excited about a potential bid and are fully on board! Let’s go for the GOLD!