IOC praises Utah's innovation in 2034 Winter Olympics bid – Deseret News

Amidst the pomp that marked the opening of the 2002 Winter Games at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, International Olympic Committee officials spoke to an audience on Thursday to ask Utah community leaders about their plans for the future. He said there was a moment that set the tone.

IOC Olympic Games Secretary-General Christophe Duby said the opening ceremony, which was watched by nearly 2 billion people around the world, was “quite impressive”. “Speeches are generally very dignified. Then Mitt Romney comes along and says, 'Is this a party or what?' I said, “Wow, this is America.” This is different. ”

Dubi, who is part of an IOC delegation that is in Utah until Saturday to visit the site of the 2034 Winter Olympics, said Romney, now a U.S. senator, is enthusiastic about leading the Utah Games. He said a lot has changed in the decades since he witnessed this.

Dubi said at an invitation-only forum held in the lobby of the Eccles Theater overlooking Main Street that Salt Lake City is “experiencing an Olympic bloom.” This city has really changed, probably thanks to many things, but the Olympics are one of them. There's no doubt about that. ”

With more people living in the city center, downtown streets are no longer as “lonely” as they once were on Sundays, Doubi said. “Everything we're hearing from you suggests there's even more confidence among Utahns that we can show the world a good time during the Olympics,” he said.

Karl Stoss, an Austrian IOC member and chairman of the Swiss-based organization's Future Hosts Committee, credits Utah's readiness to host the event again. He said he was “very impressed” with the new venue. These include large temporary ski and snowboard jumps for large-scale aviation events, which were recently added to the Winter Olympics.

“I saw your innovation,” Stoss said. “You can't bring the mountains into the city.”

Katherine Rainey Norman, a four-time Olympian and chair of the Salt Lake City-Utah Games Committee, which supported the bid, said she would like to help children from all areas participate in what she calls “Project 29.” He said plans are underway for ways to bring Olympic sports opportunities. 29 counties in the state.

“It takes 10 years to make an impact on these kids,” she said, noting that some of them may go to the Utah Olympics again.

Salt Lake City is being considered by the IOC to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, but a final decision is still months away. IOC leaders will review the Future Hosts Committee's findings in June and then decide whether to hold a formal vote among full members on July 24, Utah's Pioneer Day.

The delegation, which included IOC members, other commission members, executives and staff, spent the entire second day at the state's viewing venue. The sliding track at Utah Olympic Park near Park City said after recent renovations, the only remaining projects are installing new shading and lighting systems.

Brittney Arndt, who retired from the U.S. luge team last year at age 25, told IOC officials that her life changed when she discovered the sport through an after-school program at the park.

“I was very lucky to be where the Olympics were held,” Arndt said.

At the Solder Hollow Nordic Center near Midway, 17-year-old Emily Campbell, hailed by the IOC as a “rising star of U.S. biathlon,'' will compete in this year's Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon Province, South Korea. He talked about competing in the Crossroads Competition. Country skiing and rifle shooting.

Campbell, a senior at Park City High School, put aside the shooting range to give Slovakia's IOC member a chance to try the sport. Skeet shooter Danka Bartekova, who won bronze at the 2012 London Summer Games, was quick to hit the mark, despite some good-natured taunts from her delegation that there was “no pressure”.

Bartekova thanked the center's assistant coach, Curtis Lupo, for his support. “I’m happy,” she said, and she asked for a photo with Campbell and the other young athletes who came to train.

The delegation's other stops on Thursday included Park City Mountain Resort, where Deidre Walsh, vice president and CEO, attended the 2002 Winter Olympics on television. He said he first learned about Park City when he was working there. “I feel like I have to pinch myself,” she said, standing in a room overlooking the snowboarding halfpipe used in the 2002 competition.

“I'm delighted to see the Olympic spirit return again,” Walsh said.

On Friday, both Snowbasin Ski Resort in Huntsville and the Utah Olympic Oval Speed ​​Skating Track in Kearns are on the public agenda of IOC delegations. Their trip is scheduled to end with a press conference on Saturday.