Salt Lake City celebrates announcement that it will host the 2034 Winter Olympics

Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Salt Lake City was formally awarded nan 2034 Winter Olympics pursuing a Wednesday ballot by nan International Olympic Committee successful Paris, which gives Utah its 2nd Games aft hosting successful 2002.

A watch statement was planned astatine 3 a.m. section clip — 11 a.m. successful Paris — to observe nan announcement. Large crowds were expected astatine nan arena that coincides pinch a authorities vacation marking nan day Mormon pioneers discovered nan Salt Lake Valley successful bluish Utah. Olympic fanatics were already starting to stitchery downtown and transportation tents earlier sunset Tuesday.

Salt Lake City was nan lone contender nan Olympic committee was considering for 2034. Climate alteration and precocious operational costs person reduced nan number of cities consenting and capable to invited nan Winter Games. Utah has capitalized connected debased liking elsewhere, pitching itself to Olympic officials arsenic an enthusiastic repetition big if nan committee goes guardant pinch a projected imperishable rotation of Winter Olympic cities. Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi had said Salt Lake City would beryllium a premier campaigner for specified a plan.

Patricia Huhem, left, and her daughter, Elisa Huhem, observe while watching a unrecorded provender from Paris moments aft nan International Olympic Committee awarded Salt Lake City nan 2034 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, successful Salt Lake City. | AP Photo/Spenser Heaps

Local leaders had their sights group connected hosting aggregate times moreover earlier Salt Lake City welcomed its first Games, bid squad spokesperson Tom Kelly said. Remnants of nan 2002 Games are nestled passim nan metropolis and person kept nan Olympic fever live for much than 2 decades. Organizers of nan 2034 Games touted that enduring enthusiasm passim nan action process and showed visiting Olympic officials really they person preserved nan venues utilized successful 2002.

In their last position to nan Olympic committee Wednesday morning, nan bid squad was expected to outline its scheme for 1 of nan astir compact layouts successful Olympic history, pinch each venues wrong a one-hour thrust of nan athletes colony connected nan University of Utah campus. The scheme requires nary caller imperishable construction, pinch each 13 venues already successful spot and each having played a domiciled erstwhile nan metropolis first hosted.

For Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, securing nan bid was cardinal to his extremity of cementing nan authorities arsenic North America’s wintertime sports capital. He and different section leaders were successful Paris for nan bid presentation, while galore wintertime Olympians stayed successful municipality to train and subordinate successful nan festivities.

American freestyle skier Christopher Lillis, a golden medalist astatine nan 2022 Winter Olympics successful Beijing, said nan 2034 games would beryllium a dream travel existent for young group pinch Olympic aspirations. Salt Lake City has grown a batch since 2010, erstwhile Lillis said his family started visiting, and it’s go much expensive. Lillis has been training astatine adjacent Utah Olympic Park and said nan sports accommodation successful nan area are “top notch.”

Matthew Lindon, a 45-year resident of nan skis edifice organization of Park City, Utah, wherever galore events would beryllium held, said nan metropolis has expanded considerably since he arrived.

“With nan 2002 Olympics, nan motto was, ‘The world is invited here.’ And really what happened was we brought Utah to nan world, and now we’re a world-class destination skiing resort,” he said.