Park City received an awesome Christmas gift last week – Salt Lake City received a thumbs-up from the U.S. Olympic Committee to bid for the Winter Olympics in 2030. Winning out over Denver and Reno, USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland said Salt Lake City was the best choice due to the existing venues, their proximity to each other, the city’s experience hosting the games and widespread community and political support. That means Park City will again be in the international spotlight as the world’s premier location for winter sports!
We’re #1!
“It is critical to ensure that we have the ability to create an incredible experience for athletes while at the same time managing sustainability and fiscal responsibility,” Hirshland said. “It was clear to us that Salt Lake City very much understands the practical realities of hosting a Games, and also wants and supports what they represent.” The Park City area will be an important component of the bid. Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park are expected to be major competition venues.=
Bring It On!
“I think the Olympics align well with our community spirit and our community values,” said Mayor Andy Beerman. Beerman is a member of the Utah Olympic Exploratory Committee and has led the municipal government’s involvement in the efforts. He anticipates Park City will be critical to an Olympic program. “The next step will involve a community-wide discussion about the role Park City would play.”
Following the 2002 Games, Park City preserved and improved upon many of the venues, and continued hosting key international events. Utah Olympic Park is a major tourist draw that benefits our town in innumerable ways. The nearly 400-acre venue houses one of only four sliding tracks in North America, six Nordic ski jumps, a Winter Games museum, and a multitude of adventure activities. The Olympic Park is a dynamic, multi-use facility focused on developing and growing participation in winter sports in the state of Utah and is an official USOC Training Site.
Working Smarter
Since 2012, Utah has said it’s ready and willing to host another Olympics. Mitt Romney said Salt Lake City should have a great chance at winning the bid from the IOC because it has shown it can host the games without losing money. Salt Lake City ended up with a surplus after the 2002 Games, money that has been used to help maintain venues. “We learned how to produce the Games for the same cost as the revenue that came in,” Romney said. “We will not put a glitzy show like Sochi or Beijing, that are reported to have cost as much $50 billion. We will show the world that you can produce an Olympics without having the government writing the checks.” Utah organizers say they could host the games for $1.35 billion, some $50 billion less than it cost in Russia for the 2014 Sochi Games.
We at Chin-MacQuoid-Fleming-Harris are over the moon at this news. The 2002 Games brought our community closer together, showing the world that there’s no place better to live than Park City. Here’s to doing it again!
