When Beijing’s Olympic flame is extinguished, Utah’s pursuit of another Winter Games is likely to heat up.
It remains unclear when the International Olympic Committee will award the 2030 event, which the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games has made clear the state would love to capture. But it’s a near certainty that the discussions about a sequel to the 2002 Games will become even more serious, and quickly.
It’s not a moment too soon, then, for the first formal discussion about the prospect of hosting another Olympics involving the elected leaders of both Park City and Summit County. City Hall and the County Courthouse are scheduled to meet at the Utah Olympic Park on Tuesday to hear from officials involved with the bidding about where the process stands and the Park City community’s role in the effort.
So far, City Hall has been more actively engaged in the bidding process, as the Park City mayor — first Andy Beerman, now Nann Worel — holds a seat on the Governing Board of Directors of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. But unlike how the process played out in the lead up to the 2002 Games, when the County Courthouse took a backseat role, the county government will also be critical to the planning for an Olympics should another one be awarded to Utah.
The two governments would need to work cohesively to wrangle such a massive undertaking that would carry broad impacts for the entire Wasatch Back. Even the current stage of discussions before the IOC awards the 2030 Olympics — or the event in 2034, which is also in play for Utah — represents an opportunity for City Hall and the County Courthouse. They must demonstrate a constructive partnership after the relationship between the two entities was called into question during the municipal election last year.
Beyond marking the beginning of a new phase of the Olympic discussions locally, Tuesday’s meeting is also an opportunity for the public to become more informed about the bidding efforts. There appears to be a mix of support and skepticism within the community for bringing back the Games, and Parkites would be well served by closely following the proceedings.
With the Beijing Games nearing an end, our community may find itself staring down the monumental task of preparing for another Olympics sooner rather than later.
The Olympic meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the Utah Olympic Park. Members of the public are allowed to attend the meeting in person, while it will also be livestreamed online. More information is available at City Hall’s website, parkcity.org.