Colorado rejected public funding for the 1976 Winter Olympics originally awarded to Denver.
Denver won the right to host the 1976 Winter Olympics in 1970, but the plan faced rising costs, environmental concerns, and opposition within Colorado. A statewide referendum was held on November 7, 1972, and voters rejected the proposed public funding.
Denver formally withdrew on November 15, 1972. The International Olympic Committee then explored other possibilities, including Sion, Whistler, and Salt Lake City, but each alternative fell through for financial, political, or logistical reasons.
The IOC eventually selected Innsbruck, Austria, which had already hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964. Innsbruck successfully staged the 1976 Games from February 4 to 15. Colorado's referendum is notable because it remains the only case in which a city awarded the Olympic Games subsequently rejected them.