If you have thoughts about how the 2034 Winter Olympics could impact your community, it’s time to reach out to your local leaders. The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 organizing committee will kick off a listening tour in Ogden on May 19.
“We're going to be meeting with communities across the state,” said organizing committee vice chair and CEO Brad Wilson during a May 12 steering committee meeting. “Making sure we understand what their ambitions are, what they're trying to get out of the games and how they want the games to be a catalyst for their communities.”
The listening tour sessions will be private, limited to local leaders and the organizing committee. The rest of the tour is still being finalized, but the first stops will be in communities that are expected to host venues in 2034.
The plan for 2034 is to repurpose many of the same venues that were used for the 2002 games. That means communities like Salt Lake City, Provo, Park City and Heber can also expect a future visit from the organizers.
For committee executive chair and president Fraser Bullock, the tour is a chance to understand what each community wants out of the games and how they can harness that momentum for positive changes.
“We want to listen first and make sure we're well attuned to the state, not just assuming we have all the answers,” he said. “And many times we can get really good ideas of ways the games could be celebrated in communities.”
Looking back at 2002 — which has been regarded as one of the most successful games in Olympic history — those Olympics catalyzed major infrastructure projects like the TRAX light rail network and improving major interstates. It also helped modernize the state’s liquor laws. Utah grew rapidly in the following years, with communities like Park City transforming from a sleepy ski town into a year-round global outdoor recreation destination.
But the legacy of 2002 has not always been positive. There was a bribery scandal. And in the years since, some residents have said the games exacerbated existing problems with housing and development, especially in smaller Utah communities.
Despite those lingering concerns, a 2022 poll showed nearly 80% approval in the state for a second Utah Olympics.
Bullock said the tour will be the organizing committee’s chance to let venue communities know what is coming their way as far as requirements for hosting the Olympics and Paralympics.
“We’ll have city services agreements and different things like that, so that both sides are educated on the ambitions of the community, and that they understand this is what the games are going to look like,” he said.
For Wilson, his gaze is stretching far into the future. Over the next few months, he hopes to get a sense of what the 2034 games’ legacy will be.
“How do we ensure that the ‘34 games make a big difference in our community and across the country, and do it in a way that lives up to Utah's high expectations and tremendous values?”
