Every four years, athletes go for the gold at the Summer Olympic Games, as they will in Brazil this month. The U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs plays a large part in helping Olympic athletes achieve their goals. Visitors who tour the OTC can see how the center supports the athletes during their training. In fact, visitors might even see some of that training in action.
“It is here that athletes spend four years, or more, living and training as they chase the Olympic dream,” says Kasey Green, supervisor of the tour program at the OTC.
Tours of the Olympic Training Center have been done for years. But those who have visited before should consider visiting again. In June, $1.7 million in renovations to the Visitor Center were completed, providing for a more interactive visitor experience.
“We have interactive displays and touch screens from which our visitors can find information on other training sites and Olympic history,” Green says. “And we”ve added a social media war room that is visible to visitors, allowing them to see our social media coordinators in action doing updates and interviewing athletes.”
In addition to highlighting athletes who have trained at the center, tour stops include the pool, the gym where the men’s gymnastics team trains, the sports medicine room and the teaching kitchen, where registered dietitians teach the athletes to prepare healthy meals for themselves while away at competitions.
The tour is recommended for children age 8 and up because of the in-depth information provided during the tour. Tours are available for school groups and the information is presented in age-appropriate ways. And there is a separate Visitor Center experience available just for preschool groups.
More than 500 athletes and coaches can live and train at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, which is the flagship training center for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center programs. Athletes who train at the OTC are chosen for the honor by their sport’s National Governing Body. The sports that train at the OTC include fencing, gymnastics, judo, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.
Check it Out: 1 Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs (near downtown)
Need to Know: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon. through Sat., and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sun. Summer tours are conducted each half hour. The final tour departs at 4:30 p.m.
Admission: $12 adults; $10 senior citizens and military members; $8 ages 5-12; free age 4 and under
