Olympic Day celebration highlights momentum of Salt Lake City’s 2034 Olympic Bid

Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of Salt Lake City - UTAH at the Utah Olympic Park on Olympic Day. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — As an announcement for the 2034 Winter Olympics draws near, The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games Strategic Board and Governing Board met at the Utah Olympic Park on Olympic Day Friday evening to reinforce their commitment to bringing the Games back to Utah. 

The Olympic Day celebration also featured public engagement activities, including a show by the Flying Ace All-Stars and opportunities for fans to try biathlon, adaptive biking, get timed in an agility course and meet Olympians including Alpine skier Bella Wright and swimmer Summer Sanders for autographs. Kids also swarmed the UOP’s newly opened push track for a chance to see how skeleton and bobsled athletes train.

Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of Salt Lake – Utah Committee, and Catherine Raney Norman, Chair of the Committee, led a presentation designed to share progress, highlight achievements, and align efforts with the USOPC’s ongoing support.

Bullock said that Utah’s Olympic bid committee will take nothing for granted and follow through with the remaining reports and presentations needed in advance of the International Olympic Committee’s official decision July 24 in Paris, just before the 2024 Summer Games open.

Other speakers included Colin Hilton, President and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Olympic gold and silver medalist Billy Demong, Spence Eccles, Chairman Emeritus of Intermountain Wells Fargo, and other notable figures. 

Gene Sykes, President of the USOPC Board, was recently recommended for IOC membership by the IOC executive board, with a vote set for July during the IOC session. Sykes praised the efforts of Salt Lake City’s bid team, noting the significant milestone achieved.

“I’m honored to be nominated as an IOC member,” Sykes said. “Salt Lake City, Utah 2034 has been recommended for election as host of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The membership will vote on this award on July 24, recognizing the athletic focus, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement of the Utah bid.”

For her part, Norman highlighted the bid’s progress and the challenges faced along the way. “We’re on an incredible trajectory right now,” she said. “We still have a few final milestones to complete, but presenting to the full I

Hilton emphasized the ongoing dedication of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. “For our staff, every day is Olympic Day,” Hilton said. “We are excited to see the culmination of years of effort to maintain these facilities for various levels of participants.”

As the Salt Lake 2034 team prepares for their final presentation to the IOC in Paris, optimism and excitement are high. A robust delegation from Utah is set to travel to Paris, looking forward to what promises to be a pivotal moment for the Olympic bid.

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