ESPN games headed here?

The Reno-Lake Tahoe area is under consideration

as a venue for ESPN's Great

Outdoor Games series in 2003.

Jamie Wilkinson of ESPN said the Reno-

Tahoe area is one of several venues under

consideration for the series that has been

hosted by Lake Placid in upstate New York

for the event's three-year history.

A decision,Wilkinson said, is expected in

mid-November.

At Lake Placid this year, he said, the Great

Outdoors Games drew about 57,000 visitors

as well as the television audience.

The on-site attendance this

year was nearly double year-earlier figures

If the Reno area is selected, the ESPN

program would provide a boost to new efforts

to market the region as a mecca for outdoor

sports enthusiasts.

The Reno-Sparks Convention and

Visitors Authority in August rolled out an

advertising campaign, "Reset Your Compass:

360(deg) of Adventure," which targets outdoor

recreation enthusiasts.

The message, RSCVA officials said., is

straightforward: Reno is more than gaming.

That message would be reinforced by the

Great Outdoors Games.

The games follow an Olympic format and

are billed as the world championship of outdoor

sports. Competitive events range from

archery to tree-topping and log-rolling. Also

included is competition for sporting dogs.

The games in New York in mid July drew

athletes from 39 states and five nations.ESPN

devoted 19 hours to airing the games in

late July.