For most cities, when the opportunity to host the Olympics comes around, it is welcomed with open arms by those who live there – but not everyone is so keen.
The first ever modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece, back in 1896. It has since grown into a much sought-after event with countries clamouring to get the chance to host it.
Cities such as London, Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing have hosted the showpiece event over the past two decades.
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The arrival of the games in the aforementioned places saw a huge influx of fans, athletes and media, which allowed local and national economies to thrive as a result.
In 2014, two years after the London Olympics, it was reported that “the UK economy has seen a trade and industry boost in excess of £14 billion following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, beating the 4 year target of £11 billion in half the time”, according to gov.uk.
So, why would a city reject the opportunity to host the games?
Well, the Winter Olympics was due to take place in Denver, Colorado, back in 1976, with the city having been granted the opportunity six years prior.
However, the games never happened.
According to reports from The Guardian, the Denver Olympic Organizing Committee (DOOC) informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that there was a lack of funds available.
But Denver’s loss proved to be Innsbruck’s gain, as the Austrian city ended up hosting the games as it already had the infrastructure in place, since it had previously played host to the 1964 games.
Planners in Colorado first thought that they would need around $30m to put on the event, but by January 1972, they had spent $1.1m.
“For that $1.1m,” state representative Bob Jackson told reporters at the time.
"The Denver Olympic Committee has only one thing. That’s permission to host the Games. There’s been nothing spent for sites, housing or transportation.”
Jackson added: “We feel it is unrealistic to assume Colorado can get by for that amount when expenditures at other sites have exceed that 10 or 20 times.”
Denver is still the only city to reject the opportunity to host the Olympic Games.
Richard "Dick" Lamm, a former governor of Colorado who later ran for the presidency of the US, admitted that the organising committee had “underestimates the costs”.
“The organizing committee here was in way over their heads,” Lamm told Colorado Daily in 2009.
“They overestimated the benefits and underestimated the costs. Colorado was generally persuaded that they didn’t have an adequate grasp on the figures and Colorado was very much liable to have to fund dramatic cost overruns.”
Topics: Olympics
Luke Davies