As the 2026 Winter Olympics reach their apex in Italy, here on the home front it’s evident what significance the games have to the Colorado Springs community.

That might seem obvious in “Olympic City USA.” But not long ago, it was oft forgotten and rarely highlighted how Colorado Springs was the home to so much of the American and international Olympic communities.

In 1977, the U.S. Olympic Committee moved from New York City to the Springs — a sage move by Springs leaders at the time as only one other city, Baton Rouge, La., bid on the relocation. During the following decades as the Winter and Summer Olympics grew in size and popularity with television and the internet bringing the events more and more into Americans’ homes, the national sporting governing bodies came one by one, now totaling 25.

It was in 2015 city leaders seized on not only the Olympic brand and community of athletes, but the binding reality of how the recreation and health verve at the heart of the Olympics connects with the same reasons why many call the outdoor-friendly Pikes Peak region home.

Sure, Colorado as a state is well known nationally for its fitness, vitality and outdoor recreation. But there is perhaps no place like Colorado Springs that blends urbane working life with outdoor Olympic-like recreation so well. Olympic City USA truly is where the metropolis meets the mountains. You don’t need to take an elevator to a rooftop bar to see the summits. Pikes Peak is your backyard.

And our town’s athletes, from weekend warriors to Olympians, take advantage of it all. It’s common to see someone dressed in Olympic sporting garb in line at a downtown coffee shop. It’s not unheard of to be scaling the Manitou Incline behind someone who spends their weekdays training to make it to Los Angeles 2028 or Salt Lake City 2030. You might even see some of the world’s best distance runners pacing past you on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail, as our altitude possesses training benefits for the world’s best.

Plenty of elevated places possess the cardiovascular edge of Colorado Springs. It’s the welcoming community of people and attractive, active lifestyle overall that draws so many elite athletes here. Our shared energy harkens back to the city’s old brand, “Live it up!”

We truly do live it up here in Olympic City USA. With an improved commitment to not only facilities like the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum but also Olympic, athletic and outdoor events in America the Beautiful Park and elsewhere, the Springs is positioned to further become synonymous with the Olympics leading up to the next American West-based games, in Los Angeles in summer 2028 and Salt Lake City in winter 2034.

Look for the Olympic torch route to likely stop in Colorado Springs those next two go-rounds. And other sporting events will further crystallize the Olympic City USA brand and way of life.

That’s reflected in a 2024 survey that found 88% of city residents were aware of the Olympic City USA brand and 63% said they took pride in that identity.

No doubt about it, sports, and sports tourism, are as much a part of the Springs’ profile as Pikes Peak itself.