Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games to meet with IOC in Lausanne

A small delegation from the Salt Lake City–Utah Committee for the Games will be headed to Lausanne to engage in dialogue with the IOC about hosting a future Winter Games, according to the committee’s president and CEO Fraser Bullock.

Accompanying Bullock will be the committee’s chairperson Catherine Raney Norman, among other representatives from both the Utah Committee and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees. The two-day meeting will take place during the week of November 29.

“Our primary focus will be two days of meetings and engagement with the IOC, where we will renew and develop relationships, receive learning and feedback relative to the new dialogue process and present our work to date,” Bullock said, addressing media on a Zoom call.

“The work that we do is a rolling set of activities that we’ll continue to share with them over time as we eventually enter a formal bid.

“We know there is not going to be a lot of attention paid to future Games at this time, but they’re collaborative in allowing us to continue to our dialogue,” Bullock said, noting that it is understood the IOC’s top priority is now Beijing 2022.

Bullock, who served as chief operating officer for the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee in 2002, revealed the information during a virtual news conference following the committee’s governing board meeting on Tuesday.

It remains to be seen whether Salt Lake City will officially contend for 2030 or 2034, pending commercial aspects and other logistics to be sorted out with both the USOPC and Los Angeles 2028.

In September, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (UOLF) director Luke Bodensteiner told Around the Rings ”there is a real urgency to make this happen in 2030″.

Bullock was asked by ATR if he echoes the same sentiment as Bodensteiner, as the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee is working alongside the UOLF to bring the Winter Games back to the Wasatch Mountains, either 28 or 32 years after Salt Lake City previously hosted in 2002.

“From our perspective, we understand that there is a passion from our side, many people in our community who say that sooner is better because our venues are ageing – we really understand that perspective,” Bullock tells ATR.

“It has to be balanced with L.A. in 2028 – we have to be very respectful of their Games and how do we manage back-to-back Games 18 months apart,” Bullock says, also noting that establishing commercial partnerships in the short period of time will be an added challenge.

“The analysis has largely been completed and we are now sharing with the USOPC, but we have to balance our passion for an earlier Games with the reality of hosting back-to-back Games and that has to be done very carefully.”

However, it would seem that the upcoming meeting in Lausanne will pertain to 2030, the IOC’s next order of business after having awarded Brisbane the 2032 Summer Games in July.

“The primary focus of the Olympic and Paralympic world is on Beijing, so not having that definitive decision today does not hurt us – we do not see that as a disadvantage,” Bullock said about their choice between 2030 or 2034. “I’m hopeful that we can get a decision by end of year, but if it goes beyond that we understand and support that.

“It is a joint decision – there are still a lot of elements of that decision that we need to walk them through and discuss,” he says, referring to their USOPC partners.

Bullock said, that in addition to the USOPC, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games is also actively engaging with Los Angeles 2028.

“I’ve had dialogues with Casey Wasserman and Kathy Carter and others, and I always start the conversation saying that our number one priority is the success of L.A.,” Bullock said, referring to the LA28 leaders. “Anything that we do has to start with that in mind, and they understand our support and they’re tracking closely with what we’re doing.”

Bullock emphasizes there is a strong bid readiness based upon four primary elements – all venues existing and currently being utilized, 24,000 required hotel rooms that could be finalized soon, staunch community and political support, and the committee’s strong partnerships with the UOLF and Utah Sports Commission.

He informed that bid documents are being prepared and will be shared with the IOC and IPC in due time.

Raney Norman, a four-time Olympic speed skater who was named chair of the committee in June, expressed Utah’s excitement.

“We’re ready, we are working hard behind the scenes so that when the time comes, we can move forward,” Raney Norman said.

“The athletes are also ready to see a Games come back to the United States – there are athletes right now on the field of play that are looking forward to 2030 and 2034,” she said.

Bullock on Salt Lake City’s competition

In his presentation to media, Bullock noted Salt Lake City’s current challengers for the 2030 Games – Sapporo, Barcelona, Vancouver and the newest candidate to enter the picture, Ukraine.

“I view all of these cities as colleagues in trying to move the Olympics and Paralympics forward,” Bullock said. “In one sense we do compete, but in another sense we’re all trying to promote the same worldwide good.”

Bullock was asked if he was aware of any of the other candidate cities also meeting with the IOC.

“I don’t know that for sure, but the IOC is always very fair, so I would suspect that the other bidding cities would have the same invitation,” Bullock said.

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