BEN DORGER, standard auditor File photo
A gondola lift in the Snowbasin ski area will go up the mountain on November 20, 2018. Snowbasin served as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Weber County officials are helping bring the 2030 or 2034 Olympics back to Utah.
OGDEN – Preparing a successful bid for Utah for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympics is not just up to Salt Lake City to be the host city.
And the time to start planning isn’t in 2029.
Efforts to bring the Olympics back are well underway and Ogden officials, among others, are helping. An inventory of hotel rooms is only part of the process and Sara Toliver, Head of Visit Ogden, has helped with this effort along with her colleagues at other local tourist offices across the state.
The team organizing the application in Salt Lake City “must demonstrate that Northern Utah can provide 24,000 hotel rooms as part of the application process,” she said.
It may seem mundane, but the teams, Olympic workers, and visitors who would come would need accommodation, so it is important to show that there is enough room for them. In fact, this is one of the preparatory elements highlighted by Fraser Bullock, chairman of the Salt Lake City-Utah Games Committee.
“We are very committed. We are currently preparing an offer, ”he told Sports Travel Magazine, a trade magazine aimed at the organizers of sporting events. According to Bullock, this means a “vision”, securing accommodation and negotiating agreements for the use of the venues.
Toliver said she served as the liaison between the organizers of the Utah Olympics bidding and hotel operators to get a room count. In addition, however, local tourism authorities see great potential when the Winter Olympics return to Utah.
Visit Ogden created a 10-year plan to develop Weber County’s tourist infrastructure by 2030. The Olympics, or the potential for a return of the Olympics, play a big role.
“With Utah ready for the 2030 Olympics, there are many ways Ogden can be put on the world map,” the plan says.
However, getting the local public on board will be crucial.
“Hosting and doing an event like this is more than a function of local attractions, venues, accommodation and transportation – it is a function of the community,” the plan continues. “Ensuring that Weber County as the community is ready and prepared to host such an event is the first step in ensuring a first class experience and putting Weber County on the global map.”
Evidence that the Weber district can host large sporting and leisure events is also part of the local strategy. “Successful hosting of such events will provide evidence of the county’s ability and capacity to host larger events. This proof of concept should help increase the likelihood that Weber County will be selected as an Olympic venue, ”the report said.
Weber County already has a track record in this area.
Snowbasin, the ski area, and The Ice Sheet on the Weber State University campus hosted the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. And in a report from the Utah Sports Commission last year, both are identified as possible venues for future Olympic and Paralympic events – Snowbasin for alpine ski, para-alpine ski and para-snowboard events, and The Ice Sheet for curling and wheelchair events -Curling.
Given the opportunity, Weber County’s commissioners allocated $ 150,000 last year to assess the possibility of upgrading The Ice Sheet, a district-owned facility, with a possible return for the Winter Olympics.
Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell, who was involved in the Utah Olympics in 2002, is also involved in promoting Utah’s bid for the 2030 or 2034 Olympics. He sits on the board of the Utah Sports Commission and the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Board of the Games.
“We have a very strong, very competitive package,” he said.
The venues used in 2002 are still standing and being used even more, which would drastically reduce preparation costs. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics cost Russia $ 50 billion, Caldwell said, and Utah “can do it for a fraction of it”.
In addition, Utah has a solid base of potential volunteers, which is also very important for organizing an Olympic outreach, and the various venues are in a relatively compact area that starts out from Salt Lake City, he said.
Still, other locations around the world, including Vancouver, Canada, are keen to host the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympics. While local officials are eager, Utah by no means has a lockdown on the Olympics.
Yes, many in the state are working hard to promote Utah’s application. “But nothing is certain at this point,” said Toliver.
Bullock told Sports Travel Magazine that while Utah’s efforts are underway, they are likely to get even more intense after next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, which will be held February 4-20.
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