The International Olympic Commission’s Future Host Committee and Utah’s Olympic Bid Committee discussed the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and how that experience can apply to a potential 2034 Games.
The panel explored Utah’s 2002 successes and what it did differently from previous hosts. Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director, said Salt Lake brought the Olympics to the city in 2002, not just the venues.
“How clever that was," he said. "You know, the look of the Games is always in the venues. No, no, here it was in the city, the city was dressed.”
Dubi said, along with sporting events, entertainment including concerts added culture and a community feel.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall agreed Utahns embraced the Olympic spirit. She said tens of thousands of volunteers helped with the games in ‘02. Fraser Bullock, president of the Utah Bid Committee, remembered the call for volunteers.
“‘Long hours, hard work, no pay, better hurry,’” Bullock said.
“And how we did. We showed up, and many people were disappointed they didn't get picked,” Mendenhall said. “And we're still wearing a lot of our free volunteer swag around the city 22 years later.”
In 2034, Bullock said Utah would use a similar system, assigning a community to a certain venue and asking for volunteers.
When it comes to building future athletes, Bid Committee Chair Catherine Raney Norman said the committee launched Project 29. It explores how to bring sports and Olympic and Paralympic values to youth in all 29 counties in Utah. A work in progress, Raney Norman said they have another 10 years to instill the Olympic and Paralympic movement in kids.
“I use, you know, a fifth grader as an example. In 10 years they're going to be potentially an athlete. A volunteer. A young professional," she said. "That's an incredible impact. That's a living legacy right there.”
As Utah works to secure the 2034 Olympic bid, the Olympic officials gave some advice. Future Olympic Commission Chair Karl Stoss said Utah should be promoting sport, especially in young people. He also stressed innovation, which he said he saw touring Rice-Eccles Stadium and Utah’s public transit system.
Dubi said the state has what it takes to host the Games; all the venues are ready, public transit is improving and many Utahns want the Games to return.
He said Utah should now learn from the Olympics this summer as organizers focus on expanding the Games to France, not just Paris.
“Why not take this to the rest of the United States? Those programs, those toolkits that you have developed in Utah, they can benefit children around the country," Dubi said. "So be bold and ambitious. Because as you can see, we'll do it the Utah way. But the rest of the U.S., and by the way internationally, we can learn a lot.”
The Future Host Commission will be in Utah until April 13.
The International Olympic Committee will select a host for the 2034 Games on July 24, or Pioneer Day.
