SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — From the towering cauldron overlooking the Salt Lake Valley to the Olympic emblem engraved on a downtown manhole cover, every corner of Utah's capital is filled with memories of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Masu.
As visitors exit the airport, they are greeted by the unmissable Olympic Arch set amidst snow-capped mountains, providing an essential message for Salt Lake City's return to the Olympics. The message says, “You are entering the Olympic City.”
Unlike many other past host locations that have decided that bringing back the Olympics isn't worth the time, money and effort, Salt Lake City remains one of the few places where Olympic fever still burns strong.
On Wednesday, members of the International Olympic Committee descended on northern Utah for their final site visit, ahead of the official announcement expected this July that Salt Lake City will host the 2034 event. Enthusiasm will be maximized.
In the more than 20 years since Salt Lake City first opened its neighborhood slopes to world-class winter athletes, the pool of potential hosts has shrunk dramatically. Spectating the sport is a notorious goldmine, with climate change reducing the number of venues capable of hosting future winter games.
Utah, meanwhile, has spent millions of dollars trying to keep Olympic facilities from falling into disrepair while also trying to maintain residents' ambivalent feelings about the games themselves.
Salt Lake City has regained the favor of the Olympic Committee despite being embroiled in a bribery scandal that nearly derailed the 2002 Winter Olympics, and as its options dwindle, it is increasingly relying on an enthusiastic community. The city is now a front-runner if Olympic officials ultimately form a permanent rotation of host cities.
The Olympic Committee is left with only two bid cities for 2022: Beijing, China, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, after several European candidates withdrew due to financial, political and public concerns.
“The International Olympic Committee needs Salt Lake City more than Salt Lake City needs the International Olympic Committee, the Olympics,” said Jules Boykoff, a professor of sports and politics at the University of the Pacific.
For Utah Governor Spencer Cox, securing an Olympic bid is central to his goal of solidifying his state as the winter sports capital of North America.
Cox State is looking to attract professional sports leagues and international events like last year's NBA All-Star Game, which could help boost Utah's image as a sports and tourism mecca, as well as shed some of Utah's persistent stigma. It follows a long-standing push by state leaders to welcome the United States. It's a strange, super-religious place.
More than half of the state's 3.4 million residents and the majority of state leaders belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church.
Dave Lunt, a historian at Southern Utah University who teaches about the Olympics, said the Games give believers and other residents of the faith an opportunity to clear up misconceptions and share their values with the world.
“Latter-day Saints really just want to be liked. No disrespect or anything, that's my community, but we have a history of wanting to show that we fit in and that we're good Americans,” he said. said. “We are happy to host the party at our house.”
The revamped reputation brought about by the 2002 Winter Olympics, widely regarded as one of the most successful Olympics, led to rapid growth in the region. And state and federal funding given to the city ahead of the first Olympics gave Salt Lake City a light rail system and world-class athletic facilities.
Utah leaders are now close to completing a bid based on the argument that they can keep costs down by using much of the same venue that has been in operation since 2002. .
At a press conference in March, Cox promised, “If countries have infrastructure similar to ours, they will see it as a wise investment,'' and he also emphasized public support for the bid. .
Boykov is given the power to set the terms with the Olympic Committee, as Salt Lake City is one of the few cities still willing and able to host the Winter Olympics, which includes operational funding and He said it could also include issues such as deadlines, and even which sports will participate in the Olympics.
And NBC's multibillion-dollar broadcast contract with the Olympic Committee is set to expire in 2032, two years before Utah hosts the event, leaving the committee with no choice but to pursue NBC and other U.S. bids. As a result, it has a vested interest in selecting U.S. cities in time zones suitable for live broadcasts. A major broadcasting company based in
Olympic historian David Waleczynski said in recent years the Olympic committee has begun submitting bids more quickly and scrutinizing host candidates more carefully to ensure they are ready. He said that public support will determine victory or defeat.
Salt Lake City is different from many bidders in the past, with local bid leaders saying that despite polls showing more than 80% support statewide, residents There was no formal vote taken to decide whether it wanted to be held again.
Remnants of the 2002 Winter Olympics remind locals that the Games are part of the fabric of their city and that they are proud to be the host city. They're part of a long-term strategy Utah leaders launched shortly after the first Olympics to maintain local support so they can host the games again.
But Olympic historians say the enthusiasm could distract residents from the negative aspects seen in other host cities, including gentrification, corruption, tax hikes and empty promises to improve the environment.
So far, no opposition has formed in Utah.
“If we think of the Olympics as a cultural institution, if Utahns collectively decide that's important to us, it might be worth paying a little bit more money for,” Lunt said.
