The U.S. Olympic Committee will support Salt Lake City as the nation’s potential candidate for the 2030 Olympic Games, rejecting Denver’s unusual proposal for a privately funded Games in favor of Utah’s simpler and more popular proposal, the committee announced Friday.

The USOC now will work with Salt Lake City to prepare for the international selection process, which is expected to conclude with the International Olympic Committee session in 2023.

Salt Lake City and Denver were the final two competitors after Reno-Tahoe withdrew from the running this year. Salt Lake City proposed to run the Games for $1.3 billion, a relatively low sum, by reusing facilities from its 2002 Games. The Utah proposal had the unanimous support of the state legislature, and a poll found 83 percent agreement among the state’s residents.

“It was very clear to us when we were there, in what they presented, that Salt Lake City very much understands the practical realities of hosting a Games, but also wants and supports what they represent and are very proud to represent the United States in just that,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the USOC.

Denver’s Olympic boosters faced stronger public resistance, including the skepticism of Gov.-elect Jared Polis, who said he would support the will of the people. A year ago, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Gov. John Hickenlooper asked a private group led by financial executive Rob Cohen to come up with a plan.

They proposed to lower costs to $1.9 billion by avoiding the usual Olympic construction bonanza. Instead, the Denver plan called for hosting the Games across the country, potentially as far away as Lake Placid, N.Y., and Salt Lake City, and at temporary venues and ski resorts along the Front Range. The plan suggested that the Olympic Villages could be turned into affordable housing developments, or that athletes could simply stay at clusters of hotels.

“There was some really creative thinking from the Denver bid that was a bit unconventional,” Hirshland said, praising both plans. “Our job was to determine the city that had the best option in creating an excellent experience for athletes and minimizing the risk and having the greatest level of support for the community.”

The Colorado organizers said their plan could be pulled off without public funding and without financial liability for the state or local governments, although it would have required federal funding for security forces. Internal polling by Keating Research showed 60 percent-plus support, according to the local committee.

“We proposed hosting the Games in a new and innovative way, the Colorado Way, but we recognize that now may not be the right time for such a model,” Cohen said in a news release.

The Colorado bid also faced a potential initiative in Denver that could restrict public spending on the Games if approved by voters.

“It is disappointing that one of the world’s great winter sports destinations will not have the opportunity to partner with the USOC on a future bid, especially given that more than 60 percent of Colorado voters favor us hosting the Winter Games,” Cohen continued. “Yet I believe that our community is better for having gone through this process as we continue to look forward and pursue opportunities to showcase our great city and state on the world stage.”

Colorado is home to the USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs, but the state has never hosted the Games. Voters rejected plans for the 1976 Olympics after they were awarded to Colorado; that year’s Games went instead to Innsbruck, Austria.