Source: Economic Impact of the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Alaska. By Eric Larson, Scott Goldsmith and others. June 2002. Prepared for Game Organizing Committee, World Winter Games Alaska

In March 2001, Alaska saw the biggest sporting event in its history, when 1,800 athletes and 8,000 visitors came to Anchorage for the Special Olympics World Winter Games. About 4,500 people-including Alaskans and visitors-were volunteers at the games, and 8,500 Anchorage residents attended the events.

To assess the economic effects of the games on Anchorage's economy, ISER used a combination of interviews, financial information from the games' organizing committee, and previous studies. We interviewed a total of 362 visitors and local residents at the sporting events and mailed surveys to a sample of Anchorage businesses. Among the findings of the study (cited above) are:

. The games brought $22 million in new money into the Anchorage economy. That includes money the federal government spent to build and improve facilities before the games; money the games' organizing committee spent to prepare for and stage the games; and money visitors spent at local hotels and other businesses.

. That spending generated $12 million in Anchorage payroll and a total impact of about $32 million in sales.

. The additional Anchorage payroll generated during the games represented the annual-average equivalent of nearly 400 jobs. Most of those jobs were in visitor industries-like hotels and restaurants-but some were also in construction, communications, and other industries that don't ordinarily benefit from tourist spending.

. Virtually all (98 percent) of Anchorage residents surveyed said the games improved the quality of life in Anchorage. A third said the games had brought the community together; others cited international exposure, greater awareness of other cultures, and improved awareness of people with disabilities as non-economic benefits of the games.

. New or improved facilities built for the games will benefit local residents, according to 84 percent of Anchorage residents surveyed for this study. The federal government largely paid for building, road, and other improvements at Anchorage's Hilltop Ski Area and Kincaid Park.

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