The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games (SLC-UT) Wednesday released plans for 13 venues proposed to stage events at the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. With all venues no more than an hour from the Olympic Village, organizers say it will be the most compact Winter Games footprint since 2002 – also hosted in Salt Lake City.
The bid has been lauded for its use of existing venues that remain as well-maintained legacies of the 2002 edition.
But some changes will be made should Salt Lake City get the nod to welcome Olympians again in 2034, and the most notable will bring more action into the downtown area. Big Air, the freestyle skiing event debuting in 2018 that can take place on a temporary structure in an open area, will be staged at Block 85 where the Medals Plaza was located in 2002.
Curling matches will be contested in front of 6,500 spectators on a temporary ice sheet at the Salt Palace Convention Center that will double as the Main Media Center. Salt Palace is seen as a sustainable alternative to the Ogden facility used in 2002, the latter needing renovations if to were to be part of 2034 plans.
“Curling has grown in popularity worldwide, and certainly in America, with Team USA winning gold in 2018,” SLC-UT President and CEO Fraser Bullock said.
“The Salt Palace offered a sustainable approach with a temporary facility and the opportunity to expand seating without permanent new construction.”
While detailed plans were required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February, they remain open for negotiation until the bid is elected, and during the runup to the Games if better opportunities emerge. Recently government officials hinted that a new baseball stadium and hockey arena could be built to house professional teams over the next decade, and the IOC said these could be considered in the future but will not be part of current plans.
Bullock said “Ten years [until 2034] is a long time, and event locations will evolve based on ownership changes, new sports, or new venue opportunities,” he said.
“Events in the Games have also increased nearly 40 percent since 2002, so we will have time to evaluate the best placement.”
Snowbasin has been proposed for all alpine skiing events. Freestyle Skiing will be held at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort in Park City. Figure skating and short track speed skating will be at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City while ice hockey will face off at the Maverik Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo.
Snowboarding will be at Park City Mountain and Utah Olympic Park in Park City while Nordic combined, cross country skiing and biathlon will be staged at Soldier Hollow. Bobsled, luge and skeleton along with ski jumping will be at Utah Olympic Park.
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Opening and Closing Ceremonies will once again be held at Rice-Eccles Stadium with the Medals Plaza at Block 85 and the Olympic Village at the University of Utah.
Next week an IOC delegation of more than a dozen stakeholders, experts, executives and Future Host Commission (FHC) members will travel to Salt Lake City for a final visit before a possible election in July.
The FHC chair, Austrian Karl Stoss will lead the team on the four day visit (April 10 to 13) touring venues and transit infrastructure, meeting with the community and further discussing detailed plans with the SLC-UT Olympic bid committee. Final terms of a possible host contract could be negotiated in meetings scheduled behind closed doors.
In June, the IOC’s Executive Board is expected to recommend the bid for election at the all-members Session July 24 in Paris ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games.
PROPOSED OLYMPIC COMPETITION VENUES (Source: SLC-UT)
Alpine Skiing
Snowbasin, Ogden
Biathlon
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway
Bobsled and Skeleton
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Cross Country Skiing
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway
Curling
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City
Figure Skating
Delta Center, Salt Lake City
Freestyle Skiing
Block 85 (downtown), Salt Lake City (big air)
Deer Valley Resort, Park City
Park City Mountain, Park City
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Ice Hockey
Maverik Center, West Valley City
Peaks Ice Arena, Provo
Luge
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Nordic Combined
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Ski Jumping
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Snowboarding
Block 85 (downtown), Salt Lake City (big air)
Park City Mountain, Park City
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Speed Skating
Delta Center, Salt Lake City (short track)
Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns (long track)
OTHER PROPOSED OLYMPIC VENUES
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City
Olympic Village
University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Olympic Medals Plaza
Block 85 (Downtown), Salt Lake City
Main Media Center
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City
PARALYMPIC COMPETITION VENUES
Para Alpine Skiing
Snowbasin, Ogden
Para Biathlon
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway
Para Cross Country Skiing
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway
Wheelchair Curling
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City
Para Ice Hockey
Maverik Center, West Valley City
Para Snowboarding
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
OTHER PROPOSED PARALYMPIC VENUES
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City
Paralympic Village
University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Paralympic Medals Plaza
Block 85 (Downtown), Salt Lake City
Main Media Center
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City
