Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Fraser Bullock had an inkling about Salt Lake City's future Winter Olympics odds before the International Olympic Committee executive board met Wednesday to announce potential hosts for the 2030 and 2034 Games.
Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, had been on the phone with IOC officials earlier in the day and they had essentially assured him hours before any formal announcement that Salt Lake City would be selected as the favorite for 2034. Still, he said it was a "magical moment" to hear Utah's capital city read out loud.
He and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall raised their arms toward Wednesday's hazy, blue sky as the International Olympic Committee announced Salt Lake City as the preferred host of the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Other members of the committee embraced as a crowd of more than 100 cheered in celebration.
The measure doesn't ensure Utah's capital will host the Games in 2034, but it puts the city on track to host the major global event. In short, the city's bid took a major leap forward.
"I'm just so happy for the people of Utah — that we can finally have this moment after a decade of work," he said, sporting a "SLC-UT 2034" cap. "Now, we have these next 10 years to bask in the limelight a little bit, to make sure that our preparations are just off the charts, and have the greatest experience possible."
IOC officials also named the French Alps, France, as the preferred host of the 2030 Winter Games during its meeting in Paris on Wednesday. In a bit of a surprise, the committee also said it would begin "privileged dialogue" with Switzerland, giving the country a head start on possibly hosting the 2038 event.
The organization is expected to formally name hosts of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics next year, after voting in October to award the two events at the same time. The 2026 Winter Games will be held in Italy.
Why Salt Lake got the nod
Salt Lake City was one of four applicants vying for the Games in 2030 and 2034, but it had a leg up in its proposal. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee had made it clear to the IOC it preferred to host the event in 2034, but could also host in 2030, if needed. This made Salt Lake City the only candidate for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
However, Salt Lake's history also seemed to be a major advantage. Salt Lake City has only hosted the Winter Olympics once, in 2002, and it was successful enough that members of the IOC's future host commission recognized it Wednesday.
Karl Stoss, the commission's head, explained the IOC was impressed by the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee's "very compact" master plan and how the city could host the event with no significant capital investment required. That's largely because the state created a fund after the 2002 Winter Olympics to help preserve and maintain many of its venues.
He added the region is already experienced in hosting global winter sports events and the bid has "exceptional" public support, as well as support from federal, state and local government. Utah officials found more than 80% of Utahns are supportive of hosting another Winter Olympics.
There are two other key factors as to why the IOC picked Salt Lake City. First, all the competition venues are within an hour of the planned Olympic Village, which it says can make for a "unique opportunity for an exceptional athlete experience."
Second, it believes Salt Lake City's bid provides "an opportunity to secure a traditional winter sports and climate-reliable destination well in advance of the Games" based on IOC-commissioned studies on the matter.
In all, Stoss said the IOC determined the bid could "build on the legacies of 2002."
None of this was surprising to members of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee, which offered its final pitch to the IOC last week before the organization chose its preferred sites.
All of the public and government support was "unmatched" by others in the field, Mendenhall said. The same goes for the ability to host the event with minimal capital investment. "I don't think they can say that about anywhere else in the world," she said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he and other committee members believed 2002 would be "a key to all of this," as they pushed to host the Winter Olympics a second time.
In fact, he said many of the IOC officials they spoke to attended the 2002 Winter Games and left with a positive feeling.
"We know that we can do this now, there's no question," he said. "That's what the IOC confirmed in every conversation that we had. ... All of that added up and now we get to make the next best Games ever."
What happens next?
The process isn't over, yet. Wednesday's announcement initiates a process between the IOC and France and also the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, where the sides will negotiate back and forth until a final agreement is locked in place for 2030 and 2034.
Both preferred hosts have their "homework" cut out for them over the next few months, Stoss said. The preferred future hosts have until the end of February to submit final proposals and the end of March for all guarantees. The IOC will also visit the future host cities in April as it looks to make a final decision.
If the right conditions aren't met, the process may move forward with another preferred host.
"The work is not finished now," Stoss said. "We have just another six months to come to a decision. The Future Host Commission will now set a timeline for the targeted dialogues and will report back to the executive board on the outcome of these discussions ahead of the next IOC session in July."
Bullock isn't deterred by this timeline. He said the committee could "push the send-button tomorrow" on documents the IOC needs. Cox adds he believes Utah is ready to host the Olympics next year, if it had to, based on how Olympic-ready the state is right now.
The committee instead plans to focus on a little more celebrating this week before moving forward with the progress. Mendenhall said there would be some additional celebrations Wednesday at the state's Olympic venues.
The committee's governing and strategic boards will also meet at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Friday before Cox and Mendenhall will lead a public celebration outside the stadium beginning at 5:45 p.m. State and local leaders, along with Olympics, will fire up the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron as a part of that celebration.
"This is as good as an award; it's a huge day for Utah," Cox said. "We've been dreaming about this day for a long time."
