Four Time Olympian to Chair Salt Lake City-Utah Bid Efforts

Committee bolsters athlete membership naming 10 Olympic and Paralympic athletes

SALT LAKE CITY (June 9, 2021) - The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games has taken a significant step to further bolster athlete engagement as it looks to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back to Utah for 2030 or 2034. Four-time Olympic speed skater Catherine Raney Norman, a highly-respected voice of athletes, has been named chair. In addition, 10 Olympic and Paralympic athletes were added to those already on the committee.

Utah business leader and committee chair Cindy Crane, who steered the group through its formative period beginning in February, 2020, announced the changes following a June 9 governing board meeting. The appointments are in line with the Athletes First direction the committee has followed since its inception 16 months ago.

At the same time, the governing board appointed Larry H. Miller Group of Companies CEO Steve Starks as vice-chair. Starks was named to the board by Utah Governor Spencer Cox and will also serve as the governor’s Olympic and Paralympic advisor.

Raney Norman, who competed at the 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics, retired from her athletic career in 2010, going on to become a highly-respected voice of athletes. She served for a decade on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Athletes’ Advisory Council, rising to vice-chair. She has been engaged in the return of the Games to Utah since the formation of an exploratory committee in 2012. Raney Norman is presently co-chair of the committee’s Athletes’ Advisory Committee with Paralympic Chris Waddell, and is also vice-chair of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

Her role as chair will be to lead the committee’s vision and strategic direction, engage expertise across committee members and provide oversight into the organization’s operations.

"As we move into a period of greater international engagement, having athletic-centric vision, input and oversight is vital to our efforts to bring the Games back to Utah," said President and CEO Fraser Bullock. "Cindy has done an outstanding job this past year building a formidable committee that represents the broad interests of the state of Utah."

Raney Norman pledged to lead by engaging committee members and communities, helping them harness the power of sport.

"As a future bid organization, we are really stewards of the Olympic and Paralympic movement," said Raney Norman. "A major element of that stewardship is how we, in Utah, engage in all aspects of that movement to bring positive benefits to our communities."

Three gold medal athletes were added to the committee’s governing board including alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, speed skater Apolo Ohno and Paralympic alpine skier Monte Meier. Ohno is the most decorated Team USA Winter Olympian with eight medals. He was named to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Vonn, who now lives in Park City, has won three Olympic medals including a 2010 gold in downhill skiing. Meier, of Midway, won four Paralympic medals including 1998 slalom gold in Nagano.

Seven additional athletes were named to the broader Strategic Board. They include Olympic figure skating medalist and Salt Lake City native Nathan Chen; Olympic nordic combined champion and Park City resident Billy Demong; three-time Olympic ice hockey medalist Meghan Duggan; Paralympic snowboard champion Noah Elliott; Olympic champion and Park City native Ted Ligety, Paralympic champion cross country skier and biathlete Oksana Masters; plus Olympic luge silver medalist and Murray resident Chris Mazdzer.

"Expanding our athlete engagement and bringing on a dynamic athlete leader like Catherine amplifies the importance of our athletes first philosophy," said Crane. "The past 16 months have been productive in establishing a sound structure of governance that will lead us to bringing the Games back to Utah in 2030 or 2034."

In his new role as vice chair, Starks will be a bridge between the committee and the governor’s office.

In other actions, the Governing Board updated governance provisions, including formation of an executive committee. The leaders of the state’s two most notable sports organizations, Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission, and Colin Hilton, president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, were named to roles on a newly-constituted executive committee.

In December, 2018, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced Salt Lake City-Utah as America’s Choice for a future Games, following a bid process with multiple cities. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games was formed in February 2020. The committee is working hand-in-hand with the USOPC to determine the best options for a formal bid, be it 2030 or 2034. A selection process for those years has not yet been announced by the International Olympic Committee.

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