Idaho may be in the running to host the 2009 Special Olympics

Local News - The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho: "Idaho Special Olympics supporters are working to bring the 2009 World Winter Games here, and a top Special Olympics official will tour potential event venues next week to see whether Idaho has what it takes to host the events.

Boise would be the hub for the Games, with The Grove area serving as the Olympic Village, Bogus Basin hosting some skiing events, Qwest Arena or Taco Bell Arena hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the city-owned Idaho Ice World providing the venue for skating competitions.

Preliminary plans also include downhill and cross-country skiing events at Tamarack and Brundage resorts and Ponderosa State Park. Boise and Idaho tourism officials are excited about the global media exposure the area would get and the economic benefits that would come with more than 2,000 athletes and an estimated 10,000 visitors from 150 countries.
'I'm so excited I can hardly stand it,' said Laurie LaFollette, executive director of Special Olympics Idaho.

'That would be so cool,' said Ben Rigby, 23, of Pocatello. He won two silver medals and a bronze for slalom snowboarding at the 2005 World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
It's hardly a done deal though. Boise would have to beat out Reno and cities in Poland and Germany, which also are vying to host the Games. Organizers also would have to raise $10 million in cash and another $10 million in in-kind donations to qualify as host.

World Games Operations Director Jon-Paul St. Germain will meet with organizers and tour the venues Monday and Tuesday. By Tuesday night, he should be able to say whether Idaho has what it would take to submit a formal bid, LaFollette said. A final decision could take another six months, said Kirsten Suto, spok"