The International Olympic Committee's final vote on whether to host the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City is still months away, but Gov. Spencer Cox is already considering the prospect of Utah becoming a permanent host.
“Over the next few years, there is talk that the IOC will make a decision to some extent on a group of cities that will host the Olympics and return to hosting the Olympics every 20 years or every 16 years.” Salt Lake City will be one of them,” the governor said Thursday during a taping of the PBS Utah Monthly Press Conference.
“You can imagine hosting the Asian Winter Games, the European Winter Games, and the North American Winter Games. And maybe every fourth one there's a new city, something like that,” Cox explained. “If that's the case, I think Salt Lake City is in a good position.”
More than a year has passed since IOC leaders delayed a decision on bringing forward the bid for the Winter Games so they could take a closer look at how climate change is affecting the quadrennial Games. A “specific pool” in a city or region.
Since then, the IOC Executive Board has named Salt Lake City, host of the 2002 Winter Games, as a “preferred host” for the 2034 Winter Games, and given France's French Alps the same designation as a potential site for the 2030 Winter Games. Ta. Switzerland, another Winter Games candidate, will have a new exclusive “privileged dialogue” for 2038.
Fraser Bullock, chairman and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Games Committee, which organizes the Salt Lake Games, said that with the list of candidates to host the next three Winter Olympics in place, He said the IOC's decision on setting up the rotation was delayed. City bid.
“There is no urgent need to address this issue,” Block said, adding that the IOC “has started that work, but then given that several countries have shown great interest in hosting the Winter Olympics.” , the review was delayed.” In addition to Sweden, Sapporo, Japan, and Vancouver, Canada, are also competing for a spot in the upcoming Winter Games.
Block said it would be up to the IOC to decide when they would take up the issue again, suggesting it could be before the 2034 Winter Olympics.
“In the long term, we need a way to address climate change and maintain the strength of the Winter Games,” the bid leader said, adding that when it comes to rotation of the Games, “it is possible that the IOC decides to take part in that discussion.” There’s enough sex,” he added. before our game. To me it makes sense. ”
The IOC's plan to rotate the Winter Olympics among a group of permanent host countries deemed climate-compatible, including whether bids from other cities and regions will continue to be considered, as suggested by the Governor. I don't know yet what will happen.
“There are a lot of ideas out there,” Block said. “The pros and cons of many ideas will be analyzed over the coming years. It's too early to tell at this point, but there are opportunities for other potential hosts as well as opportunities in the face of the climate. It also needs to be stable.”
Block said he personally believes a spot in the Winter Olympics rotation is a “big ambition” for Utah, but “there needs to be extensive community dialogue before we look for a spot.”
“I think it would be great if we could have that discussion with Congress, community leaders and a lot of other people, which I think a lot of us agree on,” he said. “Most people tend to do that, but having a dialogue process is always a healthy approach.”
The governor said the state “has all the facilities in place right now. We could host the Olympics next year if we wanted to, and that would change the equation,” even though it doesn't necessarily attract many bidders. When asked about the merits of holding an event that doesn't exist, he replied: Cox said that's because of the cost of necessary venues, including a sliding track, ski jump and speed skating oval, which Utah has maintained since 2002.
“If all countries had infrastructure like we have, they would see it as a smart investment,” the governor said. “The reason some countries have decided not to do it is because they have to build all these venues. It's very expensive and the venues go unused and end up being demolished. And it's clearly a waste.”
Cox said there is “tremendous public support” for the Olympics in Utah, with more than 80 percent of Utahns supporting the bid, according to a Deseret News/Hinkley Institute of Politics poll. He said, “Largely because of that, these venues are always in use, and we're very fortunate to be the winter sports capital of North America. And that's going to continue to be the case.”
The IOC's Future Hosts Committee is scheduled to travel to Utah next month to tour venues before reporting on the bid to IOC leaders in June. The IOC will recommend a vote by full members on Salt Lake City's 2034 bid, scheduled for its annual meeting in Paris on July 24, which will be celebrated as Pioneer Day in Utah. It will be up to the board.
“I think we'll be able to sign on the dotted line in Paris, hopefully on July 24th. That's what we're looking forward to,” the governor said, adding that once again the Olympics will be built on the state's infrastructure, as was done with the 2002 Olympics. He said this is an opportunity to invest in. “If everything goes well, we'll be able to get everyone together and say, 'Okay, we've got 10 years left, where do we want to be in 10 years?'”
