http://kunr-assets.trinityannex.com/audios/484_0706winterolympics-web.mp3
While the Reno-Tahoe area wasn't in the running to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, local ambassadors still made the trip all the way to South Africa to attend Wednesday's announcement of the host city. It's part of a growing effort to bring a future olympic games here. The delegation from the city of Pyeongchang in South Korea went wild when they got picked to host the Winter Olympics in 2018. In the crowd studying their final presentation was Jon Killoran, who heads the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition. I reached him by phone in South Africa shortly after the announcement. KILLORAN: "Matter of fact I just walked out of a press conference where they're extolling the virtues of patience and perserverence. This was south Korea's third bid in a row for the winter games." Preparing to someday push for a Reno-Tahoe bid, Killoran plays ambassador, getting to know the players inside the world of Olympic planning. While his group dreams of someday hearing hockey sticks in Northern Nevada, you can already hear other sounds... (Sound of swordfighting) Fencing is not a winter sport, but it is in the Olympics. And right now some of the best fencers in the world are here. More than three thousand athletes are squaring off this week inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center for national and international championships. Greg Dilworth heads USA fencing. DILWORTH: "This is the championships for the entire Western Hemisphere and this is one of the key qualification events to the Olympic games."Jon Killoran says hosting this type of event has real value to the people who plan the Olympics. KILLORAN: "Bringing great events to the area shows our capabilities." The entire effort depends on the whims of American Olympic officials, who won't entertain picking Reno or any other area for the 2022 games for at least another year.