SALT LAKE CITY — Those looking to bring the Winter Olympics back to Utah made another pitch to International Olympic Committee leaders Monday, showing how the area is practically ready to hold the games right now.
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Utah’s Olympic Oval in Kearns continues to host the "Fastest Ice on Earth."
Over the weekend, US speed skaters set a new world record in the Men’s Team Pursuit winning a gold medal in the ISU World Cup.
“It’s a concrete example of how these venues have been managed and maintained and are at international-class levels,” said Catherine Raney, Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.
The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games insists the 2002 Winter Games facilities are up for a repeat despite 40% more competitive sports.
“Of course there are always small elements of refurbishment that would be needed and we’ve accounted for that in our budget that we are still putting together. But we have everything we need to host the games,” said Fraser Bullock, Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.
After the 2002 games, a $76 million endowment keep the facilities up to date to continue world-class competition. It’s one of the advantages bidders spoke to the IOC about during the hours-long meeting Monday.
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“What they laid out for us was the process, the new process, for bidding for an Olympic Games,” said Bullock.
The meeting was supposed to happen in Switzerland, but was held virtually because of COVID-19 concerns.
It remains unclear exactly when the local committee plans to bid for a 2030 or 2034 games, but that decision will likely come after next year's Beijing games.
