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SALT LAKE CITY – Twelve years after the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, more than 80 percent of Utahns said they supported a second bid to host the games, a survey concluded.
Dan Jones and the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah conducted the interview and said 82 percent of Utahns said they were in favor of playing host to the world for a second time.
Of the 1,622 Utahns who participated in the survey, 92 percent said they thought the state benefited from hosting the games in 2002.
“In the case of ‘did you benefit from the games?’ We’re looking backward and it’s something people experienced and they have certainty and they know,” said Natalie Gochnour of the David Eccles School of Business. “But when you look forward and say, ‘should we bid again?’ that entails some risk and hasn’t occurred yet, so you get a little bit of falloff.”
Forty-seven percent of participants said Utah strongly benefited, 45 percent said it benefited, 6 percent were neutral, 1 percent said it hurt the state. Nobody said it strongly hurt the state. Of participants, 46 percent said they strongly supported a second bid and 36 percent said they supported it. Self-identified Republicans were more likely than Democrats or Independent voters to support a future bid.
“We had just the perfect event. From the athletes and the competition that occurred, to the quality of our venues, to how our infrastructure, our transportation works so well,” Gochnour said. “Utah did an amazing job, and I think that’s part of why people continue to view it so favorably.”
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The survey did not ask for reasons why individuals did not support a second bid.
This survey shows that the public opinion is in line with that of the leadership. In 2012, Utah Governor Gary Herbert announced the state was considering a bid for 2022 and that an exploratory committee had been put in place. Shortly after, the United States Olympic Committee said it would not pursue a bid for that year. USOC has reported it will likely pursue a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Jeff Robbins, CEO of Utah Sports Commission, said the soonest winter games he sees USOC making a bid for is 2030. But whenever the time comes, he believes Utah will be ready for it. Utah’s Olympic facilities continue to be used and maintained, hosting World Cup and Olympic trial events.
To what degree has Utah benefited from hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics? Strongly benefited :47% Benefited: 45% Neither benefited nor hurt: 6% Hurt: 1% Strongly hurt: 0%To what degree would you support Utah making a bid to host a future Winter Olympics, such as in 2026? Strongly support: 46% Support: 36% Neither support nor oppose: 11% Oppose: 6% Strongly oppose: 3%
“The goal for all of us here," Robbins said, "is to continue hosting major sporting events and doing things that will allow the venues to stay in spec and host major sporting events and train elite athletes so the life of those venues continues to be extended, so if we have another opportunity to bid again, we’re in a position to do so, which also means that the cost advantage we have over another city would also be in place."
According to a 2012 report compiled by the Olympic Exploratory Committee, a future bid and improvements would cost $1.67 billion dollars – about $300 million more than the 2002 Olympic costs.
Robbins is quick to point out, however, that the projected cost would be less than that of other cities, thanks to existing infrastructure and the continued use of all 14 venues used in 2002. Venues and transportation would need “incremental” improvements, he said, but the addition of light rail lines, expansion on freeways and corridors, lodging and accommodation improvements that have been made since 2002 would help keep costs down for future games.
“Many people would argue that we’re better prepared now to host the games than we were back then,” Robbins said.
Olympic facilities for the 2002 Olympic Games were built with $59 million tax dollars and $40 million was put toward operating expenses through 2030. The $59 million was paid back.
The 2012 report said a bid on the USOC level would cost less than $1 million, and between $25 million and $30 million to compete internationally. Taxpayers would cover $85 million for upgrades to the bobsled, luge and skeleton track, as well as the speedskating oval and other Olympic facilities.
The 2002 games injected $1.3 billion into the Utah economy and created 35,000 jobs in the years between 1996 and 2003, according to “Utah the State of Sport” report about the 2002 Olympics.
“It’s something you don’t do unless you do it well because the chance for it to not turn out well could be such an incredible blemish and difficult thing,” Gochnour said. “We are really fortunate in this state because our last Olympic Games left a profit. And that profit we have used to fund Olympic facilities in this state, hopefully in perpetuity.”
An additional 22,000 people volunteered in the games.
“You have this experience where the world focused on our beautiful capital city and our state, and what they saw, they liked. I think the volunteerism not only benefitted the people who were volunteers, but did an extraordinary service to our state,” Gochnour said.
Future games could produce a $5 billion economic impact and provide more than 30,000 year-long jobs that generate more than $75 million in revenues to state and local governments.
Contributing: Dave Cawley
