Olympics & Paralympics

  • In 1978, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) relocated from New York to Colorado Springs, and we have been the proud home of Team USA since. 
  • That same year, the USOPC chose Colorado Springs as the site for its flagship U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, which is located at the site of the former Ent Air Force Base
  • Approximately 15,000 athletes train at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center every year
  • More than two dozen National Governing Bodies and Paralympic Sport organizations are headquartered in Colorado Springs. For perspective, the next largest concentration of NGB headquarters is in Indianapolis, which has three.
    • USA Archery
    • USA Artistic Swimming
    • U.S. Association of Blind Athletes and National Wheelchair Basketball Association
    • USA Badminton
    • USA Basketball
    • USA Bobsled & Skeleton
    • USA Boxing
    • USA Cycling
    • USA Fencing
    • USA Field Hockey
    • U.S. Figure Skating,
    • USA Hockey
    • USA Judo
    • USA Karate
    • USA Modern Pentathlon
    • USA Racquetball
    • USA Shooting
    • USA Swimming
    • USA Table Tennis
    • USA Taekwondo
    • USA Team Handball
    • USA Triathlon
    • USA Volleyball
    • USA Weightlifting
    • USA Wrestling
  • Several national sports organizations are also headquartered in Colorado Springs, including the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, and US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, Inc. 
  • Colorado Springs is also home to four international federations of sport:
    • International Cricket Council Americas, North America & Caribbean Handball Confederation, International Racquetball Federation, and World Lacrosse

Other Sport Assets

  • Colorado Springs is home to two professional sports teams – the Rocky Mountain Vibes baseball team and the Switchbacks FC.  
  • Three collegiate sports programs call Colorado Springs home – Colorado College, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
  • The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), which is the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, supporting and disseminating research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness, is headquartered in Colorado Springs
  • In August 2020, the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center opened its doors on the campus of UCCS, bringing together undergraduate and graduate programs, clinical programs, and research for athletes of all kinds in a world-class sports medicine and performance environment
  • Olympic City USA regularly hosts world-class events, including:
    • The United States Golf Association’s U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships, USA Boxing National Championships, Warrior Games, USA Cycling Road Masters National Championship, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Pikes Peak APEX, Rocky Mountain State Games, and the Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb
  • Colorado Springs is the home of the Mountain West Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

Tourist Attractions

  • Colorado Springs is the home of the flagship U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. 130,000 people tour the campus of the USOPTC every year, where Olympians, Paralympians, and Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls train throughout the year at camps and in residency programs. 
  • In the summer of 2020, the nation’s only U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum opened to the public. The museum tells the stories of Team USA through one-of-a-kind artifacts, interactive media and technology, and art. It is the physical home of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. 
  • Colorado Springs is the proud home of the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center Velodrome, one of only a handful of velodromes in the country. It is the official training venue for U.S. Olympic & Paralympic track cycling and USA Roller Sports. The velodrome features a 333.3-meter banked cement cycling track and has an air-supported dome that allows for year-round training and racing. 
  • The Broadmoor World Arena Ice Hall, an official U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site, is located in Colorado Springs. Many U.S. Figure Skating national team members call the Ice Hall “home ice,” and it regularly hosts national and international competitions. 
  • The World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Olympic City USA, and serves as the international repository for the sport of figure skating. The only institution of its kind in the world, it is dedicated exclusively to the preservation and interpretation of the history of figure skating.  

Natural Training Grounds

  • Colorado Springs is home to 160 miles of park trails and 105 miles of urban trails
  • The renowned Garden of the Gods Park is located in Colorado Springs, and it is not uncommon to see athletes running on the trails or cycling on the roads through the park. 
  • Colorado Springs’ elevation is 6,035 feet, making it an ideal high-altitude training location
  • A regional favorite hiking trail, the Manitou Incline is composed of an abandoned cog railway track that scales part of Pikes Peak. The hike features 2,768 steps up a 45 degree, mile-long hill gaining 2,000 feet in elevation, and boasts users such as Olympic champions Apolo Ohno (short-track speedskating) and Caeleb Dressel (swimming). Over 180,000 people tackle this climb each year.
  • Colorado Springs also has 9,000 acres of parkland, used regularly by training athletes.
  • Colorado Springs is the second-largest city in Colorado population-wise, and the largest geographically
  • Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain is operated as an enterprise of the City of Colorado Springs, and the 14,115-foot mountain is often the testing grounds for endurance athletes who will run, hike and cycle to the summit