Olympic committee participates empty-handed in 'white elephant' hunt in Utah

The IOC Group has praised the Salt Lake City area's venues and participation in the sport.

Karl Stoss and a group of eight other international celebrities went on a safari around Salt Lake City last week. What are their hunting targets? The “white elephant” is quite elusive.

This is the future host committee's term for venues that were built for the Olympics but have since remained unused or in disrepair.

But when he and the rest of the team finished their visit on Saturday, Stoss said that despite searching numerous parking lots and parks from Ogden to Provo to Park City and in between, Utah State They reported that they were unable to find a single parking spot for the event. 2002 Winter Games. Indeed, the committee, whose study is part of the International Olympic Committee's new process for determining suitability for future Olympic venues, felt it would instead encounter a number of golden tigers.

The golden tiger is considered a symbol of success and prosperity. And in a glowing review after touring the site Saturday, the committee indicated it expects just that from both Salt Lake City's 2034 Olympic bid and the Olympics themselves.

“It's really nice to know that we're not looking for white elephants in the countryside,” Stoss said at the closing press conference in the luxurious lounge of the Edison House, a private social club in Salt Lake City. “We just found a used venue, a great venue, for the next Winter Olympics.”

Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Convention Committee, said committee members raved about the venue. The group's four-day tour visited 13 locations in the venue plan drawn up by the committee in its formal bid to the IOC in March. There were also facilities built to serve the same purpose during the 2002 Games, such as the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo for hockey competitions. Additionally, additional events will be held in 2034 at the location used in 2002. That includes Block 85, which will be home to Big Air skiing and snowboarding, the medal ceremony, and the University of Utah, the site of the Olympic Games. Opening and closing ceremonies, Athletes Village, New Athletes Family Village.

“They said, 'We underestimated in our bid even though the venue is so great.' You described them and they're even better than we thought,” Block said. Told. “And…they said, 'As great as the venue is, the staff is even better.'”

It was important for local organizers to wow international attendees while searching for a venue. The IOC will rely on the future host committee's recommendations when deciding whether to put Salt Lake City's candidacy to a general membership vote in July. If all goes well, the IOC plans to officially name Utah as the 2034 host on July 24.

The commission gave no indication it would vote against Salt Lake City. In fact, it set the city as an example for future hosts to emulate.

“You will be a role model for the IOC,” Stoss said. “This is a completely new approach we're working on. This is the right one.”

In addition to finding a lively and active venue to replace the white elephant, the committee said it recognized the development of the state's youth sports program and the public's enthusiasm for the Olympics. According to one poll, more than 80% of Utahns support hosting a second Olympics in the state, and 55% strongly support returning to the Olympics.

Still, Olympic Games Secretary-General Christophe Duby issued some warnings to local organizers.

At Wednesday's opening press conference, he worried aloud whether the state would be able to maintain its high approval ratings for the games even after the euphoria of being chosen as host wears off. And during a forum with business and community leaders on Thursday, Dubi urged Block and his team not to rush plans for the Olympics.

“Please do not hold any matches at this time,” he said. “As we know, you have everything you need. You have the venue, you have the people. It's urgent that we don't start too early. We can do that later, and then we can focus on running the tournament.”

Dubi said Saturday that the bid committee is focusing on social programs and initiatives that will impact the community right now, rather than getting hung up on the details of whether the Maverick Center will host hockey games or become the home of the NHL. He made it clear that he was convinced that this should be done. This is the Delta Center team. He pointed out that it will take 10 years for that to become clear, and that a lot can change within 10 years.

After the committee praised Salt Lake City, it seems very likely that Salt Lake City will also be included in the Winter Olympics rotation. The idea was proposed by the IOC at last year's executive board meeting as a way for global sporting events to combat climate change.

Stoss did not commit to states joining the rotation if the IOC decides to move in that direction. But he said the IOC believes Utah is a viable host to the Winter Olympics until at least 2050. Beyond that, despite the best plans of local Olympic organizers, it may be difficult to find a mountain with enough snow cover to host the event.

It's like finding a real white elephant.

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