DENVER — Could Denver bid for the Winter Olympics in 2018?

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter says that if Chicago does not receive the 2016 Summer Games, Denver could be a viable candidate for the Winter Olympics two years later.

Ritter mentioned the Olympics idea this week after returning from a trade trip to Beijing, which hosted the Olympics this year.

Denver is famously the only city ever to turn down the Olympics. Denver was awarded the 1976 Olympics by the IOC, only to have voters reject any investment due to environmental and financial concerns.

If Chicago is awarded the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Committee will not bid again until the 2022 Olympic Games.

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Information from: KUSA-TV, http://www.9news.com