IOC officials stopped at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway Thursday afternoon, April 11, on its second day of site visits.
If Utah is confirmed as the host of the 2034 Winter Games, Soldier Hollow will be the venue for the biathlon, cross country skiing and Nordic combined competitions.
IOC representatives saw the newly renovated Soldier Hollow facilities, the shooting range and even gave the biathlon rifles a try.
Heber Valley Chamber executive director Dallin Koecher spoke about the chance for the venue to host another Olympics.
“We still care about the Olympics. We still care about sport. We still care about our community,” he said.
Wasatch County Councilmember Mark Nelson said the county looks forward to hosting for a number of reasons.
“As we anticipate them coming here again, in addition to the great events and the camaraderie and all of those fun things about the Olympics, there will also be opportunities to fund important infrastructure… that will be a benefit for many, many years after to the citizens, and so that’s really exciting too,” he said.
And Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of SLC-UT Committee for the Games, said he’s feeling optimistic as the committee looks ahead to the official host announcement this summer.
“The day has just been magical,” he said. “The venues and people are fantastic. And what’s nice is the members of the IOC can feel the warmth of the people, combined with the beauty and excellence of the venues, is a great formula to bring the Games back again.”
Salt Lake City has already been named the preferred host of the 2034 Games. The official host will be named July 24, Pioneer Day in Utah.