Olympic Valley, CA – Following the U.S. Olympic committee’s (USOC) decision earlier this month to not pursue a U.S. bid to host the Olympic Games in 2022, thereby scuttling hopes to return to the site of the 1960 Winter Games at Squaw Valley/Lake Tahoe, Calif. that year, the region continues to purse a bid for a subsequent Games.

The Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee (LTWGEC) held its inaugural meeting in Olympic Valley last Friday and named additional members named to the group’s Board of Directors. Members of the board unanimously supported that the organization turn its attention to the next available Winter Olympic games while simultaneously focusing its efforts on attracting world class sporting events to the region in preparation for a potential bid.

The board of the LTWGEC is comprised of Nevadans and Californians who have come together to create a bi-state effort focused on creating the environment for a potential Olympic bid. In announcing its decision earlier this month, the USOC said that it would instead make a decision in the fall of 2012 regarding mounting an American bid for either the Summer 2024 or Winter 2026 Olympics.

“The LTWGEC strongly supports and endorses the USOC’s decision to delay the U.S. bid for future Olympic Games,” said Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw/Alpine and acting chair of the board of directors for the LTWGEC. “We feel the decision puts Lake Tahoe in a much stronger position to be the host of the next Winter Olympic Games in North America, whenever that is.”

Last Friday, the LTWGEC held its inaugural meeting with its new board of directors.

“We are very proud to have such an esteemed group of Californians and Nevadans coming together to create a truly bi-state effort here in our region,” said Wirth. “Our region – from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe to Reno – has the right combination of venues and physical splendor to make it one the world’s great destinations for Winter sports and this committee is dedicating itself to that ideal.”

In the coming weeks, the LTWGEC says that it will make a series of announcements about the committee’s goals, its dedication to the region’s glorious physical environment, its commitment to working with all the local communities in the area and additional board members.

“Stay tuned as we’re just getting started but this is an important first step,” Wirth continued. “We’re going to work with our neighbors, our community members, and create something truly special for the region.”

The LTWGEC’s Board of Directors includes skiers and past Olympians Tamara McKinney and Jonny Moseley, as well as Nevada Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki and Blaise Carrig, President of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division.