On Monday Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation CEO Colin Hilton discussed the 2034 competition venues, which include several Wasatch Back locations like the Utah Olympic Park, Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and Soldier Hollow.
Hilton was especially excited about Block 85 downtown in Salt Lake City, a new addition from the 2002 Games.
“Block 85, which is that big parking lot kitty-corner to the Delta Center, will be both the medals plaza and a big air competition site,” Hilton said. “Pretty cool to bring a mountain sport to the downtown urban environment with a five-story scaffold structure.”
Hilton said the state’s concept is unprecedented in that all competition venues are within an hour drive from the athlete village at the University of Utah.
“There’s no place on the planet that has it this proximate to the village,” he said.
Fraser Bullock, who serves as executive chair and president of the 2034 Games, also outlined various committees that will play a role in the long-term planning strategy.
Several Parkites are contributing, including Olympians Lindsay Vonn, Ted Ligety and Haley Batten, Park City Mayor Nann Worel and Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, who is chair of the technology and innovation committee.
Organizing committee CEO Brad Wilson said the group’s efforts will ramp after the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
“After we get through the LA Games in [2028] is when things will start to change very dramatically for us,” Wilson said. “That’s when we can commercialize our Games. We can start talking to sponsors, and we will start a lot more in-depth Games planning and getting our strategy lined up.”
Officials with the 2034 Games, which are privately-funded, have set a $300 million fundraising goal.
Steve Starks, who is vice chair of the strategy committee, said private donations will allow them to operate without any tax dollars. Starks said it will also help them navigate any economic uncertainty.
Bullock said organizers will soon begin reaching out to residents in the venue communities to bring their input into planning at all stages.
“One of the things that we’re trying to do is really connect around the state with the citizens of Utah,” he said. “We want to listen to their ambitions of what they would like to see the Games accomplish.”
Organizers will also share the state’s plans for the Games with residents at the listening sessions.
Officials said the tour begins in Ogden next week before heading to the Wasatch Back. Listening session dates are expected to be announced over the next week.
