- The University of Utah report highlights the 2034 Winter Games as a major opportunity.
- Utah faces "Troubling Seven" challenges, including housing costs and traffic congestion.
- The Games could drive strategic investments and innovation, enhancing Utah's Olympic legacy.
SALT LAKE CITY — Hosting a second Winter Games in 2034 is "an Olympic-sized opportunity" for the state, according to a new report released Tuesday by the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
"Few single events in Utah history compare in reach and significance," states the institute's second "Keepers of the Flame" report, citing an estimated 15 billion viewer hours of coverage expected during the Olympics and the Paralympics that follow for athletes with disabilities.
That puts pressure on the state to tackle what the report described as "Utah's Troubling Seven" challenges, just as the 2002 Winter Games pushed officials to deal with problems like I-15 gridlock and the need for more public transportation.
"Even with Utah's well-documented exceptional economy, our state is changing fast. And even as Utah prospers, serious challenges pose a threat to Utah's long-term success," the report warned, but the 2034 Games can serve "as a powerful catalyst to make Utah even better."
Utah's seven challenges identified by the institute are:
Before billions tune into Opening Ceremonies at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium on Feb. 10, 2034, the 44-page report offers starting points to address those challenges, such as creating a statewide community land trust as "a quick and effective way to lower housing costs" and prioritizing connected autonomous vehicles to ease traffic congestion.
Other "consequential ideas" to be considered are placing reading pros in K-3 classrooms, expanding career-oriented "catalyst centers" into Salt Lake County, conserving up to 500,000 acre-feet of water annually, investing in a state energy research fund, and aligning behavioral health efforts and investments with Utah's strategic plan.
Insights in the reports that are intended "to help guide Utah and leverage the Games" begin with a call for the state "to lead with dignity," in "a time of significant polarization and mean-spirited, sometimes even violent, expression and actions."
Next is tapping in to Utah's younger generations, followed by focusing on long-term goals at the community level and catalyzing private innovation and investment, possibly through creating an impact fund that could provide both societal benefits and profits.
Utahns stepped up for the 2002 Games, the report noted, with estimated private and public investments in transportation, resorts, venues, housing, hotels and other areas that were made to benefit the 2002 Games adding up to $7.25 billion in 2024 dollars.
While about $4 billion of that amount went to rebuild I-15 and add TRAX light rail lines along with other transportation projects, the list also included spending for ski resort and Salt Palace expansions, new hotels and Olympic venues, and a public safety communications system.
The institute's director, Natalie Gochnour, said the state is positioned to take advantage of another Winter Games.
"The global spotlight of the 2034 Games provides a powerful motivation and deadline for Utah to make strategic investments and pursue innovative solutions to many of our state's most troubling challenges," Gochnour said. "By proactively addressing our challenges and building on our strengths, Utah's Olympic legacy will extend far beyond the Games."
