 Denver was selected in 1970 to host the 1976 Winter Olympics to coincide with Colorado 's centennial celebration , but in November 1972 Colorado voters struck down ballot initiatives allocating public funds to pay for the high costs of the games , which were subsequently moved to Innsbruck , Austria . The notoriety of becoming the only city ever to decline to host an Olympiad after being selected has made subsequent bids difficult . The movement against hosting the games was based largely on environmental issues and was led by State Representative Richard Lamm , who was subsequently elected to three terms ( 1975 – 87 ) as Colorado governor . Denver explored a potential bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics , but no bid will be submitted . In 2010 , Denver adopted a comprehensive update of its zoning code . The new zoning was developed to guide development as envisioned in adopted plans such as Blueprint Denver , Transit Oriented Development Strategic Plan , <unk> Denver , and the Strategic Transportation Plan . 
