The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 delegation was led by the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Erin Mendenhall, the President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Gene Sykes, and the President of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Fraser Bullock.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Salt Lake City and Utah are long-time friends of the Olympic Movement, and we are confident that they will organise exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games, just as they did years ago. The legacy of 2002 is tangibly and passionately alive in Utah. The legacy of 2034 starts today.”
Governor Cox said: “The Olympics and Paralympics represent so much more than competition. At its core, the Olympic Movement is about building community and celebrating excellence, things we do really well in Utah. More than 80 per cent of Utahns and 100 per cent of our elected leaders supported our Olympic bid. We're ready to host another Olympic Winter Games, and we can't wait to welcome the world back to Utah in 2034.”
There was a final report by Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC body responsible for monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games.
“Olympic Winter Games in Utah represent a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “This very strong project benefits from an exceptionally high level of public and political support. The athletes will benefit from great facilities and opportunities this project has to offer.”
Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 has the ambition to extend the transformative benefits of Salt Lake City 2002 to a new generation and make the resources and experience of Utah available for the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
It is fully aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, as well as regional socio-economic development plans, especially around creating long-term benefits for the region and potentially the country, for example by expanding existing sports and social programmes for young people and athletes.
The Games will be hosted in world class, 100 per cent existing or temporary venues, and will assist efforts to drive sustainable change in Utah.
“During our visit, the Commission was able to see first-hand these excellent venues and to witness the immense experience and expertise that exists,” explained Mr Stoss. “Enthusiasm for the Games was palpable in every interaction we had, both at the venues and in meetings with athletes, sports leaders, politicians and the private sector.”
Erin Mendenhall, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, said: “Salt Lake City and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement are deeply connected through values - our commitment to diversity, love for our youth and the tireless work to preserve our environment. These principles are shared through the lens of sport. I can’t imagine a better partnership than the one we continue to forge with our Olympic partners.”
“This a great day for winter sport in the United States and around the world,” said USOPC President Gene Sykes. “The Games vision brought forth by the Salt Lake City-Utah team – inclusive of state and city leaders, the remarkable bid team and the community that showed support for this effort throughout – has been collaborative and forward-looking from the very start. We are thankful to the IOC and to Karl Stoss who led the Future Host Commission, and we look forward to the process of organising what we know will be terrific Games in 2034.”
Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said: “Today's decision by the International Olympic Committee is as much about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement as it is about Salt Lake City-Utah. We are proud to show the world how our living legacy brings value to our communities, enriches the lives of youth, and helps contribute to the world of sport.”
Before the vote, IOC Members were able to put questions to Mr Stoss and to the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 leadership.
Serious concerns were expressed about recent developments in the United States around the challenge to the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which could have negative implications for international sports events held in the USA.
In their presentations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 and the USOPC confirmed that they are fully committed to compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that their dedication to clean sport and to the coordinated international anti-doping effort led by WADA is absolute.
IOC Member John Coates, Chair of the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, confirmed that the Olympic Host Contract will be strengthened in relation to WADA and the World Anti-Doping Code. The IOC has reinforced the current language in order to protect the integrity of the international anti-doping system and to allow the IOC to terminate the Olympic Host Contract in cases where “the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined”.
This measure has been fully supported by the State of Utah and the USOPC.
There were 83 ‘yes’ votes for Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 by IOC Members, 6 ‘no’ votes and 6 abstentions, out of 89 valid votes.
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