Northern California For Winter Games 2030?
We’re fresh off the Winter Games in Pyeongchang for 2018, and Northern California already wants to host them in 2030. Get all the details here.
By nowproducerdave on February 26, 2018
Well, back in 1960, Squaw Valley hosted the winter games, and it looks like they want to host again, this time in 2030. Research has already been conducted. There’s a lot to consider when you want to host certain events. The most obvious is space. Do you have enough space to have athletes, fans, families stay in and around town for such an event? Another thing to consider is actual space for the events. That may seem obvious as well, but just because you have a hill full of snow doesn’t mean it’s good for certain sports. There are requirements, a downhill run has to be a certain length, and it has to be within a certain elevation range as well. Luckily, a lot of venues in and around Lake Tahoe fall into the requirements.
The bid is a sort of joint effort between Nevada and California, specifically Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Sacramento. Yep, Sacramento is thrown into the mix. We’re a pretty big town and we’re a convenient distance from where the games would be held if they came back to California. Also, we’d even be a good spot to host some of the games, with hockey and skating being mentioned. Squaw Valley once hosted the World Cup of women’s skiing, and officials with the event were “blown away by our ability to host an event of that magnitude,” says Andy Wirth, who is the chief operating officer for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.
The one problem is that some things would have to be built, just to be left behind unused after the games finish up. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars to build a luge track for bobsledding, for example. Some other cities are working on their own bids as well, including Salt Lake City who already has some of those structures in place from the 2002 Games. Denver wants in, too.
Would you like to see a big event like the 2030 Winter Games here in Northern California, and even right here in Sacramento? Would the traffic nightmare be too much to deal with for the couple weeks of action, and nevermind construction delays leading up to the event? Or would all that be worth it for our local economy? More details here.
