Salt Lake City is the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday. The city also held the Winter Games in 2002.
This does not mean anything is guaranteed, but the chances for the state of Utah are looking good. Salt Lake City was invited into a "targeted dialogue" for the 2034 event, while the French Alps is the preferred host for 2030.
The French Alps and Salt Lake City-Utah invited into respective Targeted Dialogues to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030 and 2034. pic.twitter.com/t3XJyyVH8P
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) November 29, 2023
"I'm just so happy for the people of Utah — that we can finally have this moment after a decade of work," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said, as reported by local news station KSL. "Now, we have these next 10 years to bask in the limelight a little bit, to make sure that our preparations are just off the charts, and have the greatest experience possible."
According to the announcement, more than 80 percent of the public in Utah strongly supports the decision.
One of the main reasons why Salt Lake City has made it this far in the process is because of "the vision to build on the positive legacies of the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002," according to the IOC.
All the proposed venues are located within one hour of the main Olympic Village as the IOC said this offers "a unique opportunity for an exceptional athlete experience."
The goal is to announce a formal decision for the 2030 and 2034 hosts at the IOC session in Paris in July 2024. The 2026 Winter Games are already set to happen in Italy.
