- Utah's new 2034 Olympic logo sparked mixed reactions, with many united against it.
- Gov. Spencer Cox acknowledges the criticism but appreciates the generated buzz.
- "Utah 2034" replaces Salt Lake City as the event's name, stirring additional controversy.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's new 2034 Olympic transition logo appears to have united the state as organizers wanted — just not in the way they thought it would.
"It's really brought people together because everyone seems to not like it," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said with a chuckle during his monthly briefing with Utah reporters on Tuesday. "It's great to see the way it's really brought us together. Sometimes that's what it takes."
Thoughts on the logo have been mixed since it was released on Monday. KSL.com commenters and others online had a lot to say about the font used in the logo, which appears to be similar to the logo for the iconic 1960s animated show "The Flintstones," Disney's "Moana" franchise and the 2025 flick "Bugonia."
"When I read it, I feel like I'm trying to prove to a computer that I am not a robot," one person wrote, as a nod to CAPTCHA fonts.
Some were more accepting of it. One person said it brought to mind rock arches or Indigenous rock art, both of which can be found all over Utah.
It's certainly a "bold" logo, which makes sense when seeing how it came together, Cox said. However, as a fan of more "conservative" design works, he said he understands the feedback.
The responses, he adds, have been "fun and funny" to read online, and — in the end — it does its job generating a buzz with less than 3,000 days until the global event returns to the state.
"I love that it's got people talking," he said. "We could've done Times New Roman and called it a day, and nobody would have said anything. At least people are talking about the logo, and it's getting a lot of attention."
It's also not the final product. Utah's 2034 official Olympic logo is expected to be released in 2029, and organizers say there will be plenty of time for people to provide their feedback by then before that's designed.
Responses to 'Utah 2034'
The logo wasn't the only update that generated controversy.
Organizers also announced Monday that the event would go by "Utah 2034" over Salt Lake City, breaking away from the Olympic tradition of naming the event after the host city. That was also the case when Salt Lake City last hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002.
"It stings," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told the Deseret News after the announcement on Monday, adding that it's not what she would have done for the upcoming event.
"I think we've had a lot of thoughts about it. We're not aware of another community where they changed the name after they went through the whole bid process, so it is odd," Salt Lake City Council Chairman Chris Wharton told KSL.com on Tuesday.
Many took to social media to question whether politics had anything to do with the decision. Mendenhall has often referred to Salt Lake City as a "blue dot in a red state."
But there was "nothing political" about the decision to break from using Salt Lake City in the Olympic name, Cox reiterated on Tuesday. He insists that the decision was made from feedback since the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, as cities and counties pointed out that events are held in areas beyond Salt Lake City.
That's also expected of the 2034 Winter Olympics, which is slated to have events across Summit, Utah, Wasatch and Weber counties, in addition to Salt Lake County. Olympic organizers say that they also plan to hold many Olympics-related cultural events across the state.
Salt Lake City leaders are choosing to view it that way, too.
"I think the part we agree on is we do think this is an important thing for all Utahns," Wharton said. "I'm still excited that everyone's going to be coming to Salt Lake City."
