1972 Denver Winter Olympics referendum Innsbruck, Austria would be selected as the replacement city, hosting the Winter Olympics for the second time. 1972 Denver Winter Olympics referendum The Denver Winter Olympics Referendum was held in 1972 following the awarding to Denver of the 1976 Winter Olympics. However, a 300% rise in costs and worries about environmental impact led to Colorado voters' rejection on November 7, 1972, by a 3 to 2 margin, of a $5 million bond issue to finance the games with public funds. It was the only time a city awarded the Games rejected them. Richard Lamm was an obscure state legislator when
Bids for the 1976 Winter Olympics Bids for the 1976 Winter Olympics The selection process for the 1976 Winter Olympics consisted of four bids, and saw Denver, United States, selected ahead of Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The selection was made at the 70th IOC Session in Amsterdam on 12 May 1970. In a 1972 referendum, voters in Colorado rejected funding for the games, and for the only time a city awarded the Games rejected them. Denver officially withdrew on 15 November, and the IOC then offered the games to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, but they too declined owing to a change