SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—The Olympic committee formally awarded the 2034 Winter Games to the United States bid. This would mark the return of the games to the U.S. for the first time since 2002.
The campaign team presenting the bid on stage to IOC members included the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, and Alpine ski player Lindsey Vonn.
The aftermath of the pandemic, climate change, and high operational costs have all played a role in reducing the number of cities willing and able to host the Winter Games. Utah capitalized on low interest elsewhere by marketing itself to the Olympic officials as an enthusiastic repeat host to the games if the committee goes forward with a proposed permanent rotation of Winter Olympic cities.
Salt Lake City has kept remnants of the 2002 games alive, nestled throughout the city. It also kept its Olympic fever alive for more than two decades.
Hosting the 2034 games will mark the second games in a six-year span, with the United States hosting the 2028 summer games in LA. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has been promoting the next decade as the most crucial and transformative in its sports history.
“It’s the end of a journey in terms of getting the Games back again, but it will open up more opportunities and more things for us as we look forward to it,” Utah Sports Commission president and chief executive officer Jeff Robbins says.
Some of the proposed venues for the Olympic games include Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort in Park City, along with Snowbasin near Ogden. Indoor facilities include the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, home to the NBA’s Utah Jazz and NHL’s Utah Hockey Club; Maverik Center in West Valley City, home to the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies; and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo.
The opening and closing ceremony will proposedly be held at the Rice-Eccles Stadium, the home of the University of Utah football and site of the Ceremonies in 2002.
