On Friday, officials who helped organize the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City joined current lawmakers to discuss preparations needed if the Olympics return in 2034. The panel discussion was hosted by the Kem C. Gardner Institute and Deseret News and focused on learning from the past.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney led the organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He said the committee found planning for the Games more complex than expected.
“I have people that come up to me and say, ‘That Olympics must've been like a Super Bowl.’ And I laugh, and I say, ‘It's like 50 Super Bowls,’” Romney said.
Romney said hosting the Olympics was a massive undertaking and it will be even more challenging for Utah to host them again. He said the two biggest areas of focus are transportation and security. During the 2002 Games, he said Utah brought in 1,500 buses from across the country to transport people during the games and transportation logistics overall was expensive. Security was also a big expense as costs increased after 9/11.
By 2034, Romney said transportation and security will be even more expensive. And he recommended Utah officials start working on securing federal funds for the Games now.
“Instead of asking for three or $4 billion down the road, we're able to get two or 300 million year after year going into special accounts,” Romney said.
Rep. Jon Hawkins, who is also a legislative participant of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, also said Utah will have to expand its transportation infrastructure before the games. But, the Pleasant Grove Republican said expanding I-15 again is not the solution. Gov. Spencer Cox has said lawmakers are instead considering passenger trains, although the Republican said a rail to Park City likely won’t be possible.
Despite the challenges, Utah’s former Gov. Michael Leavitt said the state can benefit from the Games both before and after the 17 days the worldwide event runs.
“The value of the Olympics to the state is the 10 years in advance of the games, during which there is a huge amount of back pressure that will allow you to get a lot of things done that you could never get done in their absence,” he said.
Before the 2002 Games, several infrastructure projects were undertaken, including constructing Park City’s Old Town Transit Center, widening I-15 and installing the TRAX light rail system in Salt Lake. With another Olympics on the horizon, projects like these could get another boost, and Park City and Summit County council members are already “thinking big” about potential projects.
A Republican who was in office in 2002, Leavitt said the 10 years after an Olympics also bring value to the state. According to Leavitt, the Games helped grow Utah’s technology community. The panel agreed Utah officials must decide what they want from a 2034 Olympics.
Fraser Bullock was the COO and CFO of the 2002 Olympic organizing committee and is the current president of the Utah committee for the Games. He said the Games support unity and about 80% of Utahns want the Olympics to return.
“One of the things that the games has the power to do is unify communities at the local level, unify a nation and unify the world as we saw with 9/11,” Bullock said.
Former Republican state Sen. Lane Beattie, who helped plan the 2002 Olympics, said involving the community helps make the Games successful. He said around 75,000 volunteers, driven by a love for the community, supported the Games in 2002.
Beattie said part of making Utahns proud of the Olympics is in things unelated to competitive events. For example, in 2002, original music was prepared for every elementary school in the state to perform for families.
“It was huge, because it made them feel part of and proud of our Olympic Games,” he said.
The International Olympic Committee will announce a decision on Utah's bid for the 2034 Winter Games on July 24.
