It appears that the Lake Tahoe area may make another run at bringing back the Winter Olympics. It’s been 50 years since the Winter Olympics were last held in the area – at Squaw Valley.

A Lake Tahoe organizing committee is now beginning to put together a bid package to try and secure the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Squaw Valley founder Alex Cushing worked tirelessly to bring the games to Squaw Valley. Now his widow, Nancy Cushing, is leading the move and organizing a committee to try and bring the games back to the Tahoe region in 2022.

This past weekend saw the start of the bidding process. Squaw Valley is hosting a 10-day Olympic Heritage Celebration. The goal is to begin a capital raising campaign to build a new Squaw Valley museum.

Back in October, the United States Olympic Committee officially ended the hopes of Reno-Lake Tahoe to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The area has now failed in six attempts to secure the Winter Olympic games.

For the 2022 games, Olympic bids are due in 2012. By 2022 it will have been 20 years since the Winter Games were last held in the United States. Salt Lake City, Utah hosted the XIX Olympic Winter Games.

If Nancy Cushing is successful, the games in Lake Tahoe could be hosted by numerous world-class resorts around the scenic, Reno-Tahoe region.

Michael Phelps

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is now the top Olympic gold medal winner of all time. Phelps won his fourteenth gold medal on August 17, 2008, in the 400-meter medley relay.

Finishing with eight gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China, Michael surpassed Mark Spitz as the most successful swimmer and Olympian of all time.

Phelps broke Mark Spitz’s 36 year-old record for most gold medals at a single Olympic games, set in 1972 in Munich.

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American swimmer who holds world records in several events. Phelps won eight medals (six gold, two bronze) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, which tied the record for most medals at one Olympics.

Michael Phelps – Athens Olympics

As a result of his swimming dominance, he’s been named World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and American Swimmer of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

In 1999, Michael earned a spot on the U.S. National B Team. At the Junior Nationals, he broke a record in the 200-meter butterfly for the 20-year-old age group. Michael’s ascent through the U.S. swimming ranks accelerated in 2000.

At 15, Michael became the youngest swimmer to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics in 68 years.

Michael Phelps – swimming race win celebration

Marion Jones has been the queen of women’s sprinting.  She racked up three Olympic gold medals and five total medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia.  The U.S. Olympic team once named her the “the world’s fastest mom.”

Well, she won’t be running any longer as she announced her retirement after pleading guilty to charges of steroid use. The allegations have hounded Marion Jones for many years.  For sports fans,  yet another idolized sports hero has admitting to using steroids.  Who’s next?  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/10/04/jones.ap/index.html – Full article