U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

Monday , March 31, 2008

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-494-8790
Cody Wertz – 303-350-0032

Sen. Salazar Hails USOC Decision to Keep HQs in Colorado Springs

 

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement in response to the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) announcement that they will maintain their headquarters in Colorado Springs.

“I am extremely pleased that the Olympic Committee has decided to keep its headquarters in Colorado Springs,” said Senator Salazar. “I have long said that Colorado Springs is good for the Olympic Committee headquarters and the Olympic Committee headquarters is good for Colorado Springs. The USOC has been and will continue to be a huge economic driver for the Pikes Peak region. Colorado Springs has an attractive economy that can easily anchor the various sporting associations revolving around the USOC’s headquarters. It will continue to make a great home for the USOC for decades to come.”

Knowing how much the USOC contributes to the local economy, late last year, Senator Salazar wrote a letter to USOC Commissioner Peter Ueberroth to urge the Committee to maintain its headquarters in Colorado Springs.

In the almost 30 years that the USOC has been at the site of the former Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs has proven to be an ideal location for the organization’s headquarters for several reasons. Colorado Springs is home to 45 national governing bodies for various sports and is a center of gravity for national sporting organizations. The costs of living and of maintaining the USOC’s headquarters in Colorado Springs are low, compared with other major metropolitan areas. The collocation of the headquarters and the United States Olympic Training Center allows USOC leadership to stay close to the needs and activities of the athletes they are working to support.

The United States Olympic Committee and other sports organizations in Colorado Springs create an industry that brings in over 4,800 jobs and $316 million annually into the local economy.

 

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