SALT LAKE CITY — It's been a busy week as the International Olympic Committee's Future Host Commission spent the past few days with local leaders touring Utah's proposed Olympic venues and more as Salt Lake City bids to host the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic games.
"We found outstanding venues here in the radius of one hour from downtown," said Karl Stoss, the chair of the IOC Future Host Commission.
From Wednesday to Saturday, it was all about showing the IOC that Salt Lake City is ready for the Winter Olympic Games to return. Beyond touring, there were discussions on infrastructure, sustainability, and the environment, as well as conversations with some of the world's best athletes and the people who make Utah great. Members of the commission said they expected great venues, but other things about their visit came as a pleasant surprise.
"What surprised me most was the passion that still exists here for the Winter Olympic Games 22 years later," said commission director Jacqueline Barrett.
In the closing press conference Saturday, optimism among local leaders about the games returning in 2034 seemed as high as ever.
"When I look at how I personally view how the last several days went, on a scale of 1 to 10 — it's a 15," said Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.
The IOC's Future Host Commission also appeared impressed by what Salt Lake City has to offer.
"There is great capability here, there's great confidence, there's a level of readiness here," said Barrett.
The biggest question — expected to be answered on July 24 in Paris — still remains. Will Salt Lake City get the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games?
"We are enthusiastic about the transformation that we will embrace as we learn how we can do better for 2034," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. "These games will be different; they must be different; we are different."
