The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria. The games were originally awarded to Denver, Colorado, United States in May, 1970 but a 300 percent rise in costs and worries about environmental impact led to voters' rejection of a $5 million bond issue to finance the games in 1972, so the IOC offered the games to Whistler, British Columbia (Canada), who had bid on the games, but they too declined due to a change of government there. (Whistler would go on to be associated with neighbouring Vancouver's successful bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.)