Olympic Committee selects Salt Lake City as likely host for 2034 Winter Games
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Sonja Nef Of Switzerland Rounds A Gate During Competition In The Ladies' Giant Slalom At The 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Photo: Tim de Waele / Getty Images
Salt Lake City has been selected as the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee executive board announced Wednesday.
Driving the news: Local officials broadcasted the IOC announcement in real-time outside the Salt Lake City & County Building, prompting cheers from the crowd. The announcement comes as the IOC convenes in Paris this week.
- Meanwhile, the board favored the French Alps as the site for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
What to watch: The IOC will now enter into "targeted dialogue" with Salt Lake City to finalize contracts and plans to host the second Winter Games in the Beehive State since 2002.
- The hosts for 2030 and 2034 will be formally announced in Paris next summer.
Catch up quick: Last month, the board confirmed Utah's capital city was the sole candidate to host the international sporting event in 2034.
What they're saying: "We are so ready for this," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall during the Wednesday news conference. "We are ready to lock it in."
- "It's a huge deal. There are lots of countries and cities that would give anything to get an event like this, where the eyes of the world are here," Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters. "It's great for our economy. It's great for our citizens."
Flashback: Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games in 2002.
- Utah's largest city was an attractive candidate this time around because Olympic venues built for the 2002 Games remain in use for recreational and training purposes.
The intrigue: Utah has a history of training and churning out Olympic athletes.
- During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, more than a third of the U.S. team was either from Utah, attended school in or trained in the state for more than six months, per the Deseret News.
Of note: Salt Lake City initially bid to host in 2030, but preferred 2034 to avoid competing for sponsors with the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
By the numbers: A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted in January found 82% of respondents favored Utah hosting another Winter Games.
