Before long, the committee that is attempting to secure another Winter Olympics for Utah could find itself atop the podium, prize in hand.
It is not precisely clear when the International Olympic Committee will select a host for the 2030 Games, but there is certain to be more urgency following the completion of the Beijing Olympics in February. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, meanwhile, appears to be making headway in pursuing the event in either 2030 or 2034, with the group meeting with IOC officials Monday.
Here in the Park City area, the time to have a long-awaited community discussion about the prospect of hosting another Olympics has arrived. While Mayor Andy Beerman has been the city’s representative on the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Mayor-elect Nann Worel will soon inherit that role after she takes office next month. One of the early items on her agenda at the Marsac Building must be to wade into the issue and begin a robust public dialogue.
Nearly everyone who was around in 2002 carries fond memories of those Games, when Main Street was transformed into a celebration zone and we all reveled in the splendor of our small mountain town being in the international spotlight. There appears, though, to be a measure of hesitation about the idea of a sequel, with some Parkites pointing to the growth that followed the 2002 Olympics and worrying that inviting the world once again could have similar effects.
A community conversation over the course of the next several months would hopefully provide a clearer picture of Parkites’ opinions, and provide insight into what would be considered a successful outcome if Utah wins another Games — which seems likely whether or not Parkites want them.
What would our community want out of hosting another Games? What are the downsides we need to avoid? What ways could we wield the platform — and the federal money that would be flowing in — to improve the quality of life in Park City long after the glitz and glamor of the frenzied two weeks are gone?
Perhaps most important is crafting a blueprint for how local officials can ensure our community’s goals are met if they end up thrust into the planning for another Olympics.
It’s true that 2030 is nearly a decade away, and 2034 is even further out. When it comes to preparing for an event on this scale, though, eight years can seem to pass by quicker than a bobsled ride down the sliding track at the Utah Olympic Park.
The time is now to enter the starting gate of these discussions, with Parkites charting the course that will follow.