SALT LAKE CITY — International Olympic Committee leadership is touring Olympic venues in the Beehive State this week in preparation for the 2034 Winter Games.
"We all have still beautiful memories of 2002, but this morning is not about thinking back so much. What we have to do, what Utah, Salt Lake City does is look forward,” IOC President Thomas Bach said as he addressed the crowd at the Grand America Hotel on day two of his visit.
This is the first time Bach has visited Utah since the 2002 Games.
"I didn’t recognize anything when I came back here,” he said.
In July, Salt Lake City and Utah were awarded the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. This weekend, IOC leadership learned more about Utah’s vision and commitment to the Games.
"Having them see our beautiful state and our fantastic people first hand, it is a special opportunity to share that,” said Fraser Bullock, the resident and CEO, of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.
Bach said he is happy to see Utah embody the Olympic spirit.
"Hard work to get ready and keep the momentum of this excitement. Then to think in a very innovative way because what we are expecting from these games in '34 are Olympic Winter Games adapted to the needs of our time, means Olympic Winter Games in a sustainable way, embracing Olympic venues and putting athletes first," he said.
After the morning event, the delegation moved to the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, where they held special meetings and interacted with future Olympians.
"I’ve been to four Games and all the venues in those games are no longer in use. We are here every day, we are high-performance by day, public by night,” said Derek Parra, a 2002 gold medalist and the sport director for Utah Olympic Oval. "It’s great to see every day, seeing kids from the community, families, events, high school track meets, now the Utah Hockey Club is here. It’s a three-ring circus at times, so we are very proud to be able to showcase that."
When Utah was awarded the Games in July, the contract was changed to include a clause that Utah could lose the Games if local officials did not pressure the federal government to end a U.S. investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency.
"I want to reassure Utahns, that’s not something that’s going to get in the way. The United States will be a big part of world anti-doping code and system, and when people disagree about things, what we're trying to do is allow the disagreements to come out in the open and be expressed respectfully,” said Gene Sykes, the president and chair of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
Bach also echoed that he is confident Utah will host the Games in 2034.
“There are ongoing talks, and we are very confident. This is why also we took this decision to allocate the games in '34 to Salt Lake. We are very confident that a good solution will be found," he said.
The next step is selecting the organizing committee for the Winter Games by the end of this year.
