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Show Utahns should support referendum on Olympic Games Also, the United States will be in a good position to gPt tu "i for 1998, and even better for 2002, since the last winter 4 -f held in the country were in 1980 at Lake Placid, N.Y T&Tn i The big question is can the state turn the dlympics profit-making arrangement, as was done in Los Anol lnta ' Calgary? a We think it can. ' Utah has everything going for it to make its Winter Olv bid a success -- if Utahns will back the bid. ympiCi :: The state has so much to offer the Olympics - excel m locations for the games, featuring the "Greatest Snow on Earth' ' a good location, excellent lodging facilities, friendly peo '' ' breath-taking scenery. p e :'. And the Olympics has so much to offer Utah -- especially opportunity to change the national perception of the state"1' backwards and unfriendly to outsiders. In two weeks, the ObV' pics can showcase our state - which is much more than "Prett ' Great." Y' Utah could not buy at any price the kind of advertising that itV could get from a successful Winter Olympic Games wit), benefits to the state in terms of dollars and image for years to come. True, the proposal to fund pre-construction for the Olympic' Games in Utah is a gamble. But Utah is up to the gamble. Let's demonstrate faith in ourselves and our state by voting in : favor of the state's efforts to host the Winter Olympic Games in'-1998 in'-1998 or 2002. ' i: " r Is Utah ready for the Olympics? That's what voters from throughout the state will decide next month during the municipal election, when they vote on the referendum ballot whether Utah should continue its efforts to host the Winter Olympic Games, either in 1998 or 2002. The Olympics questions is not a simple one. There is no proposal here to increase taxes. And there is no promise that a favorable vote will bring the Olympics to the state, either. The issue is this: In order for the state to continue its bid to host the Winter Olympics, construction must begin on some of the facilities soon - even before the International Olympic Committee Commit-tee decides which of seven locations throughout the world will host the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. The state is asking its residents if, over the next 10 years, we are willing to earmark a small portion of the sales tax we already pay to help fund the construction of bobsled and luge runs, a speed skating facility and ski jumps. Construction must begin within a year-and-a-half and should cost around $40 million. The sales tax diversion will raise about $56 million, all of which is to be repaid if the 1998 Winter Olympics should come to Utah and if they should turn a profit. It is the pre-game construction, and the use of public funds for the construction, that is at the heart of the referendum. Everyone involved in the issue admits that public funding for the facilities is a gamble. In the first place, there is a chance Salt Lake won't be selected for either the 1998 or the 2002 Olympics. In that case, Salt Lake will be the home of world-class sports facilities with no forum to showcase them or the state. While it's true that as the home of the facilities, Salt Lake could attract other sports competitions, none of them are likely to generate anywhere near the dollars that accompany the Winter Olympics. In the second place, not all Olympic Games turn a profit. And a 1998 Winter Games in Salt Lake with a poor turnout and a low television bid could cost Utah millions. But Utah has a lot going for it in its bid to host the Winter Olympics which reduce the nature of the gamble. For one, Salt Lake City is one of the few places in the world where a major metropolitan area is so near world class ski facilities. That would make it an attractive location to host the international competition if the facilities were in place. In the past, the winter Olympics have been held often in cities that were little more than villages before and after the Games. The towns are often hard to reach and inhospitable to large numbers of tourists. But that isn't true in Utah. Salt Lake City is easily accessible, and already geared to the tourist trade. Another factor favoring Utah is the time zone. Television rights play a crucial role in the modern Olympics -- and the American audience is the largest and most profitable. Our Mountain Standard Time is ideal for the American viewing audience, and the television contract is expected to sell for $423 million - with most of it going to the Salt Lake Winter Games Organizing Committee. |