Another USA Olympics? Utah’s bid to host a future Winter Olympics took a massive leap forward Wednesday.
Salt Lake City, Utah, was officially announced as the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today. The decision came during the IOC’s press conference in Paris, where Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, expressed his excitement by raising his arms in celebration.
“We did it!” exclaimed Bullock, reflecting the joy and pride felt by the committee members as Salt Lake City was named the frontrunner to host the major global event.
This announcement marked a significant milestone for Salt Lake City, which previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002. The IOC was impressed by the city’s “very compact” master plan and its ability to host the event without requiring significant capital investment. Karl Stoss, head of the IOC’s future host commission, praised the city’s experience in hosting global winter sports events and highlighted the bid’s exceptional public support from federal, state, and local government levels. Over 80% of Utahns expressed their support for hosting another Winter Olympics in polls conducted by Utah officials.
The IOC also named the French Alps, France, as the preferred host for the 2030 Winter Games during the same meeting. In a surprise move, the committee announced that it would enter into a “privileged dialogue” with Switzerland, putting the country on the path to potentially host the 2038 event.
The next step in the process involves negotiations between the IOC, the French Alps, and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. Final agreements are expected to be locked in place for both 2030 and 2034 by the end of February, with guarantees due by the end of March. The IOC will then visit the future host cities in April before making a final decision.
If the conditions aren’t met, the process may move forward with selecting another host. The IOC is set to formally announce the hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics next year after voting in October to award the two events concurrently.
Despite the timeline, Bullock expressed confidence, stating that the committee could “push the send button tomorrow” on the documents required by the IOC for the next step. Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared his belief that Utah is already Olympic-ready, noting that the state could host the event next year if necessary.
“This is as good as an award,” said Gov. Cox. “This is a huge day for Utah.”