Utaholympiclegacy.org
SALT LAKE CITY — The news came out early Wednesday that Utah Governor Spencer Cox, members of the Olympics committee, the Utah senate president and other public officials were on hand for the announcement that Utah will again be hosting a Winter Olympics in 2034.
One organization in the state probably knows better than any other why the state is doing this again. The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is a non-profit whose sole purpose to exist is preserving the heritage of the 2002 games.
On KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday, marketing director Brennan Smith told us how the 2002 Olympics reverberate more than 20 years later.
“The best thing about 2002 is, it was set up to make sure that Utah, and especially Utah’s communities and Utah’s kids would benefit in, hopefully, perpetuity from those 2002 games. There’s a through line, even though we’re more than 20 years on from those games, of public works projects, but also just hundreds of kids and international athletes and community members themselves that have benefited from Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation,” he explained.
Their venues in Kearns, Midway and Park City are busier than ever and according to their website (UtahOlympicLegacy.org), have experienced over 1.4 million athlete and visitor uses. Smith broke down what happened on Wednesday.
“So, the IOC Future Host Commission has come to Utah and recommended to the executive board of the IOC, to invite the Salt Lake City-Utah committee for the games and the USOPC (the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee) at-large into targeted dialogue. And we are the preferred host for the 2034 games.”
He said the Salt Lake committee already has a great plan with already existing facilities, along with a ton of public support, and plenty of political support across all aisles.
Smith said Utah is unique as people believe in the Utah Olympic and Paralympic movement and how it makes communities better.