The city of Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States, has unsuccessfully bid to host the Winter Olympic Games on several occasions. The most prominent of these occurred in 1986, bidding for the 1992 Winter Olympics, and 1988, bidding for the 1994 Winter Olympics. Both times, Anchorage had the backing of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) as the designated American candidate city, but lost in the final host selection vote. Anchorage attempted to bid again for the 1998 games, but the USOC transferred its support to the bid from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Background The city of Anchorage seriously considered bidding to host the Winter Olympics as early as 1955. That year, the city sent a packet of materials to the U.S. Olympic Committee, which was deciding which city to promote as a potential American host for the 1960 Winter Olympics. The USOC passed over Anchorage and Reno, Nevada, in favor of Squaw Valley (now Olympic Valley), California, which was successfully awarded the Games."Anchorage Seeks Winter Olympics", Fairbanks News-Miner, January 10, 1955, page 9. The Anchorage Winter Olympics Committee was formed in 1964 after former mayor George Byer suggested submitting a bid for the 1972 Winter Olympics.Associated Press, "Anchorage Bids For Olympics", Fairbanks News-Miner, November 9, 1964, page 8. Anchorage's bid received no votes from the 42-member USOC executive board, which instead selected a bid from Salt Lake City, Utah (which ultimately lost the games to Sapporo, Japan).Woody, Robert H. "Olympic Bid Goes to S.L.; Cheers Greet Big Utah Ski Victory", Salt Lake Tribune, January 16, 1966, front page and page 19. After Denver, Colorado, which had been awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, backed out of hosting duties after a failed referendum in 1972, Alaska senators Ted Stevens and Mike Gravel briefly suggested that Anchorage could step in to take over the games, before dropping the idea due to a lack of preparations. After that rejection, the Anchorage Times remarked that "our community has been ignored and ignored and ignored" in its desire to host the Olympics.Loll, Scott. "Anchorage Olympic Bid Nixed", Anchorage Times, November 13, 1976, page 21.
1992 Winter Olympics Plans for Anchorage to host the Winter Olympics grew more serious after a city-commissioned study in 1981 concluded that it was feasible. The study, part of the "Project 80s" program to construct civic improvements, was primarily intended to examine possible new winter sports facilities for Anchorage residents. It recommended spending $33 million on these facilities, but also found that when they were completed, Anchorage would already have Olympic-quality venues for all winter sports except the 90 meter ski jump and luge. Therefore, the study recommended spending an additional $15 million on these two venues and then bidding for the next available games, the 1992 Winter Olympics.Lindback, John. "Study backs winter sports facilities", Anchorage Daily News, September 25, 1981, front page and page A-12.
The city's 1992 bid was spearheaded by city assemblyman and advertising executive Rick Mystrom, who became the founder and president of the Anchorage Organizing Committee (AOC). Mystrom visited Sapporo, a former host city, as he researched the subject during the summer of 1983. He began his campaign on February 8, 1984, the same day as the opening ceremony of the 1984 Winter Olympics.Postman, David. "Mystrom wants city to host 1996 Games", Anchorage Times, February 8, 1984, front page and page A-12. However, Mystrom considered it unlikely that the IOC would award the 1992 games to a North American city when the 1988 Winter Olympics were already planned for Calgary, Alberta, so he initially focused on bidding for the next games, which were expected to occur in 1996.Somers, Ron. "Anchorage's own Olympic Committee says 'Yes We Can'", Anchorage Daily News, April 25, 1985, page C-1.
Mystrom and other supporters of the bid approached the USOC in early 1985 about the possibility of being chosen as the United States candidate city for 1996. They learned that the USOC was preparing to choose a candidate city for the 1992 Winter Olympics, even though the IOC was unlikely to hold two North American winter games in a row, and that whichever city was chosen for 1992 would have a strong advantage in the bidding for 1996. The mayor of Anchorage rushed to make an official bid for 1992, entering the competition on April 8, 1985, two days before the deadline to apply and two months before the USOC would make its decision.Robinson, E. O'Neil. "City bids for 1992 Olympics: Strategy could win 1996 Games", Anchorage Times, April 9, 1985, front page and page A-10.
Four other cities competed against Anchorage for the USOC's approval as a 1992 candidate city: Lake Placid, New York (which had hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics), the Reno–Lake Tahoe area of Nevada, Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah.UPI, "Anchorage Olympic bid now official", Anchorage Daily News, April 11, 1985, page C3. Portland dropped out of contention in May, intending to focus on a bid for 1996."U.S. keeps soccer hopes alive", The Oregonian, May 27, 1985, page D4. The other four cities made presentations to the Executive Board of the USOC during its annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 15, 1985.Newland, James G., Jr. "Olympics planning: it's city vs. city", Indianapolis Star, June 9, 1985, front page. While the exact results of the Board's vote that afternoon were not disclosed, Anchorage was selected quickly, reportedly on the first ballot."Anchorage Wins! We're America's choice for 1992 Winter Olympics", Anchorage Times, June 16, 1985, front page and page A-12.
After being selected as the U.S. candidate city, Anchorage organizers became more optimistic that the city could actually be awarded the 1992 games, rather than just setting itself up for future consideration. Mystrom argued that, because all six of the other candidates were in Europe, the votes could be split between all of them, potentially allowing Anchorage to take the lead. Organizers also emphasized the fact that Europe had already held 10 of the 15 Winter Olympics up to 1992.Brigham, Roger. "The job ahead: Olympic work just beginning", Anchorage Daily News, June 22, 1985, front page and page A-16. To gauge public support for hosting the games, a non-binding referendum was held in October 1985. 66 percent of Anchorage voters supported the effort to host the Winter Olympics in their city.Postman, David. "Olympics may get new vote", Anchorage Daily News, April 13, 1988, front page and page A-8.
The host city for the 1992 Winter Olympics was chosen at the 91st IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, on October 17, 1986. Of the seven candidate cities, Anchorage was the second to be eliminated from contention, receiving fewer votes than supporters had expected. The games were ultimately awarded to Albertville, France. Also, during the same IOC meeting, it was decided that future Winter Olympics would be held in alternate even years from the Summer Olympics, meaning that the Winter Olympics after 1992 would be held in 1994, not 1996 as previously expected. Within 10 minutes of the announcement that Albertville had been selected, an Anchorage 1992 exhibit in the convention hall was modified to read "1994",Postman, David. "Albertville gets '92 Games; Anchorage votes to bid for '94", Anchorage Daily News, October 18, 1986, front page and page A-14. and the AOC began filing paperwork for a 1994 candidacy later that day.Peterson, Tom, and Mitch Lipka. "1992 Winter Games go to France; Anchorage boosters look toward 1994", Anchorage Times, October 17, 1994, front page and page A-8.
Venues
The Anchorage bid Committee's bid book for the 1992 Winter Olympics listed the following venues that would be used.Anchorage Organizing Committee candidature file, 1985, via Olympic World Library (online access available only through partner institutions) Venue Events Delaney Park Strip(temporary seating) Opening ceremonyClosing ceremony Kincaid Park BiathlonCross-country skiingNordic combinedSki jumping Sullivan Arena Figure skatingIce hockey Fire Lake Arena(now Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center) Figure skating (compulsory figures)Ice hockey (preliminaries) Purpose-built venuein Mulcahy Park Speed skating Alyeska Resort Alpine skiingBobsled (alternate site)Luge (alternate site) Birch Hill Park, Fairbanks BobsledLuge University of Alaska Anchorage Olympic VillageTraining and medical facilities William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center Olympic Press Center
1994 Winter Olympics At the next USOC meeting, held on November 23, 1986, in Sparks, Nevada, the board nominated Anchorage as the U.S. candidate city for 1994. Despite protests from organizers in Portland, Reno–Tahoe, and Salt Lake City, the board members voted 44–14 to select Anchorage without any opportunity for presentations from other cities. USOC president Bob Helmick told the meeting that, with only two years to prepare for the next bidding process, Anchorage's recent bidding experience made it the only American city that could win.Peterson, Tom. "USOC taps Anchorage for '94 bid", Anchorage Times, November 24, 1986, front page and page A-8.
The AOC at first proposed spending significantly more on its lobbying efforts, setting a fundraising goal of $3.4 million for the 1994 bid. However, at the 92nd IOC Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 1987, the IOC placed restrictions on the receptions that candidate cities could hold for IOC members. As a result, in July 1987, the AOC reduced its budget to $2.5 million.Postman, David. "Olympics panel cuts budget by $1 million", Anchorage Daily News, July 16, 1987, page B-1. The organizers focused primarily on traveling to Africa, Asia, and Latin America to lobby IOC members in those regions, on the assumption that European members would tend to vote for European candidate cities.Rosen, Yereth. "AOC seeks international support of Olympic bid; Bid hinges on personal approach", Anchorage Times, November 8, 1987, pages B-1 and B-6.
In April 1988, reporting by the Anchorage Daily News publicly disclosed for the first time the fact that the city government could be held responsible for debts incurred by hosting the Olympics. Members of the Anchorage city assembly, along with the public, were previously unaware that this was a possibility. This was an established requirement of the IOC for all Olympic host cities, but because the requirement had been waived for Los Angeles in the 1984 Summer Olympics, AOC organizers assumed that the same would be done for Anchorage and so did not tell the city about it at first. Mayor Tony Knowles was informed of the city's liability in October 1987, shortly before he left office, and privately agreed to accept the financial risk without informing other city officials of it. Mayor Tom Fink, weeks after taking office in January 1988, did the same.Postman, David. "Anchorage and its Olympic challenge", Anchorage Daily News, April 3, 1988, front page and pages A10 and A11.