A decade after its launch, Colorado Springs’ City for Champions initiative — known as C4C — is 80 percent finished and expected to be complete later next year. That’s when a new visitor center and hotel, currently under construction at the U.S. Air Force Academy, is set to open.
Four of the five total C4C facilities opened during 2020 and 2021, including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Robson Arena on the Colorado College Campus and Weidner Stadium in downtown Colorado Springs as well as William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center on the UCCS campus. C4C initiative projects totaled hundreds of millions of dollars using state, private, bond and grant funding.
The initiative, which was partially funded through the state’s Regional Tourism Act, is aimed at increasing the number of new out-of-state tourists coming to Colorado Springs. The city's economic development manager, Bob Cope said a report on C4C-related visitor numbers is in the works, but he expects to see steady increases.
City for Champions Initiative projects, approximate cost and opening dates:
- US Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame: $92 million, July 2020
- Weidner Stadium: $50 million, April 2021
- Robson Arena: $78 million, Sept 2021
- William J Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center: $61 million, Aug 2020
- USAFA Gateway Visitor Center: $58.6 million (does not include the cost of the hotel portion of the project), projected opening end of 2024.
