The 1976 Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria, after Denver withdrew as host.
Denver had originally been awarded the 1976 Winter Games, but Colorado voters rejected public funding for the event in a 1972 referendum. Denver consequently returned the hosting assignment to the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC then selected Innsbruck, which had already hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964. The Austrian city held the rescheduled Games from February 4 through February 15, 1976. Innsbruck’s existing venues helped make it a practical replacement.
The 1976 Winter Olympics are sometimes confused with the 1976 Summer Olympics, which were held in Montreal, Canada. The United States therefore hosted neither Olympic Games edition in 1976, despite the year’s major national Bicentennial celebrations.