Salt Lake City announces bid for 2030 Winter Olympics

This Feb. 8, 2002, file photo shows U.S. champion Michelle Kwan practicing for the women's short program for the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City at the Salt lake Ice Center. Salt Lake City has become the first U.S city to announce it will pursue a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics following an announcement from an exploratory committee that studied the issue. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

In this Feb. 8, 2002, file photo, the Salt Lake City Olympic flag is skated into the Rice-Eccles Olympic stadium during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City has become the first U.S city to announce it will pursue a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics following an announcement from an exploratory committee that studied the issue. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, file)

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has become the first U.S. city to announce it will pursue a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

An exploratory committee that studied the issue and state leaders announced the decision Wednesday after spending nearly four months ensuring Utah could host the Winter Games again without losing money. The city hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Salt Lake City also is open to bidding for 2026 but prefers 2030.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has until March to pick a city for 2026, though chief executive Scott Blackmun said recently that officials believe the 2030 Winter Olympics are more realistic for a U.S. city.

In the U.S., Denver and Reno are considering bids. Internationally, cities weighing bids include Sion, Switzerland; Calgary, Canada; Stockholm, Sweden; and Sapporo, Japan.