SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 29, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City has cleared a final hurdle to become a host city for the 2034 winter Olympics.
Officials including Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Gov. Spencer Cox gathered with the media to view a news conference from the International Olympic Committee. IOC officials announced it will enter into a targeted dialog with Salt Lake City officials regarding hosting the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic games.
IOC official Carl Stoss said advantages to Salt Lake City as an Olympic site include that it’s a legacy location with multiple facilities in place, and has strong public and governmental public support. He added that Salt Lake City’s “master plan (is) very compact; no capital investment required.” He also noted “exceptional public support at the highest level.” View those comments starting at about 8:28 minutes in on the video linked at the bottom of this story.
“I kind of knew this was coming,” said Fraser Bullock at the Utah news conference, on the east steps of the Salt Lake City & County Building. “They love Utah. They love our people. They love the fact that we have these beautiful mountains, these venues up close together, but to support the public, the support of our political leaders which is unanimous, and that we have all the pieces in place.”
The IOC next will request documents with more detailed plans and feasibility information.
“We are ready,” said Bullock, who is president and CEO of Salt Lake City-Utah Committee. “We can push the send button tomorrow.”
Cox said Utah already proved its finesse at hosting winter Olympics in 2002.
“This doesn’t happen without 2002, I think that’s pretty obvious for everyone,” he said. “Because of the people who worked so hard to get the Olympics here the first time and I just wanted to pay tribute to those people.”
Cox said things that have made Utah stand out include existing venues and fiscal responsibility.
“We were very fiscally responsible. That’s so unique. We have it all right here, we are the whole package, and we’re gonna get 2034. … This is great. We’ve got so many other great things happening.”
Mendenhall encouraged any young people to consider honing their athletic skills.
“I want to say to all the kids out there, I’m too old to do this. But if you’re under 25 Right now, put a date on our list. You should be thinking about engaging in the capital that’s already built, part of the whole training venues that we have, in the 110 languages that are spoken in Salt Lake City school district alone, we are welcoming the world today. You should come and join us and be a part of this movement.”
The movement will also include volunteers and community support, she said.
“We’re not building buildings to host this. We’re building community. We are a community that has an Olympics in our DNA. That’s why this feels so good, and why we know we’re gonna get this done.”
The 2024 Olympics and Paralympics will become part of Utah’s identity, Mendenhall predicted.
“How are we going to transform our identity yet again? We have been through a lot as a city in the last several years. We’ve shown our tenacity. We’ve shown our character, our spirit and our love for each other. We are so ready for this and I’m so proud of this team that put this together and we’re about to lock it in.”
A final IOC decision will be announced in July.
