Story and photos by Jill Savory and Hawley MacLean – on the ground in Sochi
Hosting an Olympic Games is no easy task – more than a decade is required to plan, bid for and deliver the event. It also requires significant investment in a region and even a nation, depending on the size of the country. Sport, transportation, security and tourism infrastructure is either built or improved to accommodate sporting events and the hundreds of thousands of people who travel to attend the Olympic Games, including competing athletes and teams. Logistical planning and security preparations to move people into and out of the country/region efficiently takes years to develop. It is reported that Russia spent an estimated $50 billion to deliver the Sochi 2014 Games – more than any other host. The International Olympic Committee understands that this type of investment is not sustainable or available in most countries, and there has been an effort by IOC members to refocus attention on the legacy of hosting the Games. Legacies can be vast, such as: improved sport and regional infrastructure, increased opportunities for young people to play sport, regional tourism, enhanced cultural awareness, local business opportunities and investment, job creation, environmental improvements, technology infrastructure and innovation, and much more. It is no surprise why so many regions around the world want to host the event.
The Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the Reno Tahoe region as a world-class sports tourism destination and to advance the Olympic movement throughout the area. The region is experienced in hosting major international sports competitions, and it is a training ground for many elite athletes – such as the sixteen Sochi 2014 athletes that have ties to the region. Eighteen snow sport resorts are within a 90 minute drive from Reno Tahoe International airport, with the vast majority 60 minutes or less. The region already has more than 33,000 available rooms for tourists, and the region is a world-class tourism destination with a rich cultural history.
Bringing the Olympic Games back to this region (the Olympic Winter Games were hosted in Squaw Valley in 1960) would be an amazing opportunity to showcase the region for sport, tourism and business.
The pictures that follow show the Sochi 2014 infrastructure added to host the event.
