A final report on whether Utah should bid again for a Winter Olympic Games is now expected to be released in mid-to-late September.
The state’s Olympic Exploratory Committee decided Friday that no more meetings will likely be necessary to finalize the report being prepared for Gov. Gary Herbert and Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker.
Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, who is the lead co-chairman of the committee, said the report will spell out that any future Olympic bid will “go into sleep mode” until the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) makes a decision about which Games to pursue.
Consultant Grant Thomas, who is assembling the committee’s report, said he will give another massage to the draft report reviewed Friday by the Exploratory Committee, incorporating whatever new comments were made in a closed session.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Thomas said the report will emphasize the sustainability of Utah’s Olympic-related venues and their consistent use since the 2002 Winter Games.
The USOC won’t decide until the end of the year whether to bid for the 2024 Summer Games or the 2026 Winter Games.
The host city of the 2026 Winter Games will be selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019.
