Tahoe Olympic Committee Signs On 5 Olympians

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — The committee trying to lure the Winter Games back to the Lake Tahoe area in 2022 is getting help from some prominent U.S. Olympians.

The Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee announced on Friday that five Olympians have signed on to help develop an Olympic bid for the Tahoe region. They are: speed skater Andy Gabel; ice hockey player Bret Hedican; freestyle skier Jonny Moseley; downhill skier Tamara McKinney; and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Lake Tahoe is ringed by ski resorts on or near its shores, but it would likely face competition from other U.S. cities, including possibly Denver. Squaw Valley, a resort on the California side of Lake Tahoe, hosted the Winter Games in 1960.

The U.S. Olympic Committee, however, has to first determine whether to submit a formal bid for the Winter Games. It has until 2013 to make that decision.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.