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Experts say Olympic venues in Utah are well maintained and ready for future winter games

Posted at 5:26 PM, Dec 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-18 08:46:42-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- All the talk of another Olympics winter games possibly making its way to Utah has people wondering how some of the past 2002 Olympic venues are holding up, 16 years later.

Fox 13 stopped by Utah Olympic Park, and representatives said these facilities won't take much preparation.

"All that hard work since 2002 seems to be now recognized and affirmed by the U.S. Olympic Committee," said Colin Hilton, president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

Hilton says hundreds of regional, national and international events are held at Olympic venues like Utah Olympic Park and the Utah Olympic Oval throughout the entire year.

"We have teams from Australia and China and Canada and France," Hilton said. "They are regular athletes that come and train whether it's winter or summer."

Todd Ossian, head coach of the U.S. aerials team said he and his staff make sure facilities are kept at a world class standard.

"It’s the most important thing with our sport, that we work to make sure that the track is smooth daily; we work on the jumps to make sure that the shapes or smooth," said Ossian.

The park is also growing, in the process of building housing for athletes and staff, and along with athletes, comes spectators. In a study by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the 2002 games brought the state over 6 billion dollars and almost 46,000 jobs between 1996 and 2003.

"The U.S. ski team is here and the Olympic Park is home to us," Ossian said, "so we feel very comfortable right here at home."

A variety of events are taking place at Olympic Park just this week for both athletes and the public alike. The Ski Jumping FIS Cup is scheduled for Tuesday along with the kick off of the Winter Bobsled Experience.