SALT LAKE CITY — A who's who of Utah public officials and legendary sports figures make up the delegation team that will officially present Salt Lake City's bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Led by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and SLC-UT committee President & CEO Fraser Bullock, the 21-person group will travel to Paris in two weeks where the International Olympic Committee will select the host of 2034 Games.
Once in France, a smaller 7-member "presentation team" will showcase the Salt Lake City bid in front of the full IOC membership on July 24. Along with Cox and Bullock, other participants include Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Olympic downhill skiing champion Lindsey Vonn and Paralympian nordic skier Dani Aravich.
"The key thing is, out of everything we talk about, is we are going to speak from the heart because Utah loves the Games," said Bullock during a Tuesday. press conference.
Other members of the overall delegation include former BYU star Jimmer Fredette, who will be participating in the Paris Olympics in 3x3 basketball, as well as Olympic champion speedskaters Erin Jackson and Derek Parra.
"Our goal, our objective is how do we continue to unify the world and make the world better through sport," explained Catherine Raney Norman, Board Chair of SLC-UT 2034.
The trip to France for the majority of the delegation and other staff members is being funded by private donors and not through government funds.
It is nearly a foregone conclusion that Salt Lake City will be awarded the Winter Games by overwhelming margin. In April, a group of IOC committee members toured local venues during a multi-day visit in which the Olympic Games executive director Chistophe Dubi said, "It feels like home."
"We are on the one yard line and the other team is gone," said Bullock, "so we feel really good about our chances."
The 30-minute presentation that will be shown to IOC membership was created by an Emmy-award winning production firm led by Scott Givens, who was managing director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies when Salt Lake City first hosted the Games in 2002.
Presentation Team
- Utah Governor Spencer Cox
- Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
- Gene Sykes, President, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
- Fraser Bullock, President & CEO, SLC-UT 2034
- Catherine Raney Norman, SLC-UT 2034 Board Chair, SLC-UT 2034
- Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Champion, Park City
- Dani Aravich, Paralympian, Salt Lake City
Elected Officials
- Stuart Adams, President, Utah Senate
- Mike Schultz, Speaker, Utah House of Representatives
- Jenny Wilson, Mayor, Salt Lake County
- Nann Worel, Mayor, Park City
- Jon Hawkins, Utah House of Representatives
Olympic & Paralympic Athletes
- Brittani Coury, Paralympic Medalist
- Jimmer Fredette, Paris 2024 Olympian
- Erin Jackson, Olympic Champion
- Kaysha Love, Olympian & World Championship medalist
- Derek Parra, Olympic Champion
- Chris Waddell, Paralympic Champion
Youth Athletes
- Orson Colby, Luge, Riverton
- Emma De Bock, Speedskating, Farmington
- Kate Pressgrove, Figure Skating, Heber City
