Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Reno Join For 2030 Winter Games Bid

Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, and Reno are working together to bring the 2030 Winter Games back to Squaw Valley. That hasn’t happened since 1960!

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows chief operating officer Andy Wirth is the chairman of the group. The Tahoe-Sacramento-Reno Winter Exploratory Committee is working hard to meet all specific criteria.

The committee already looked at runs in Heavenly Ski Resort to potentially use for some sports. Other spots near the Truckee Airport and Boca Reservoir are also being considered. Wirth said:

“We have not only a venue that meets the minimum standard, but we have a very exciting venue. Our strength would be our diversity. The strength would be a bi-state, regional effort that would include Sacramento, Lake Tahoe and Reno.”

Lake Tahoe could serve as the focal point for the alpine events, and Sacramento could host events like hockey and ice skating. Reno would be the gateway to the games and where athletes and visitors stay for the duration.

So far, chances are looking good. Executives of the FIS and International Ski Federation were impressed with the layout and ideas.

At this point, the biggest hurdle is that a sliding center would need to be built for bob sledding, luge, and skeleton. Wirth told KCRA:

“Nobody wants to build white elephants that remain unused. So if you spend hundreds of millions of dollars building, for instance a sliding venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton, those can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build but they go unused for the years after.”

Other cities looking to bid for the 2030 Winter Games include Denver and Salt Lake City. However, it’s still unsure if the United States Olympic Committee will seek a winter 2030 bid at all. If it happens, Wirth feels confident about the possibility of Lake Tahoe hosting again:

“We take a look at this and do comparatives and that’s what allows us to say with great confidence that not only can we do it, we can do it exceedingly well.”

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