In a 83-6 vote, the IOC gave the final approval to Utah’s bid for the Games during a vote in Paris around 4:20 a.m. MT Wednesday.
The news drew wild cheering and applause from a huge crowd gathered for an overnight watch party at Washington Square in downtown Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City was widely expected to be named host, as it was not facing any other competing bids. Utah organizers have nearly a decade to prepare for the Olympics, which is a record length of time for the Winter Games.
Despite the award, IOC officials warned Salt Lake City's bid could be revoked if U.S. authorities don't respect the jurisdiction of the World Anti Doping Agency, or WADA. The concerns follow criticism from the United States Anti-Doping Agency regarding 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Games. IOC President Thomas Bach apologized about the issue arising and said it has nothing to do with the Salt Lake City bid.
Prior to the IOC’s vote, a seven-member presentation team including former ski racer Lindsey Vonn and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made a final pitch to IOC members. Bid president and CEO Fraser Bullock drew tears during his last speech.
"Our dream is that [the Olympics] can help bring unity, hope and inspiration to a world in need of them," Bullock said. "The Games have the power to lift and change the hearts and souls of each of us and most importantly, how we see each other and treat each other for good. The Games are a platform unlike any other in the world. If we learned anything from hosting in 2002, it is that hosting the Games is a privilege."
Salt Lake City now joins Lake Placid, New York, Innsbruck, Austria, and St. Moritz, Switzerland as the only cities to host the Winter Olympics twice.
The 2034 Olympics will be the fifth time the United States hosts a Winter Games. The U.S. is also slated to host the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
IOC officials toured venues in Salt Lake City and Park City in April in preparation for the vote.
A major selling point of Salt Lake City’s bid is its ability to use existing venues, as no permanent construction is required to put on the Winter Games. All sporting venues are within a one hour drive from the athlete village at the University of Utah. The bid team is also promising to deliver the first-ever athletes' family village.
Vonn, a gold medalist and Park City resident, said bringing family along to the Olympics isn't easy.
"I experienced challenges obtaining tickets, accommodations and transportation for them," Vonn said. "It would have been so helpful to be able to focus exclusively on competing, knowing that my family had been taken care of and could be there with me, especially at those pivotal moments during my career."
The 2034 Olympics will be privately funded and is expected to cost nearly $3 billion.
The Wasatch Back will host a significant portion of events during the Games.
Park City Mountain will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding events. Moguls and aerials competitions will be at Deer Valley Resort. Utah Olympic Park will host bobsled and ski jumping. Cross country skiing competitions will be held at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
Rice-Eccles Stadium will again host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Snowbasin will host all alpine skiing events, which is a change from the 2002 Olympics.
A new addition in 2034 will be the big air competition at the Block 85 venue in downtown Salt Lake City.
Officials say the site plan is subject to change over the next 10 years.
On Wednesday the IOC also awarded the 2030 Winter Games to the French Alps.
Park City will host a celebration of the Games’ return later Wednesday at Utah Olympic Park from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
