Could it be 2030 when the Winter Olympics return to the state? Or, should Park City and the rest of Summit County save the dates for the Games four years later?
It is not known whether the Games will return in 2030, 2034, some other year, or possibly, but seemingly unlikely, never. But City Hall and the County Courthouse on Tuesday are starting what will be a pivotal step in the local discussions about another Games, and it is crucial for the community to involve itself.
The leadership of Park City and Summit County has scheduled a series of gatherings that will unfold through early October centered on the Olympic efforts. The events will be some of the first opportunities for the public to offer opinions in standalone sessions with the elected officials dedicated to the Games.
Gatherings like the ones that are planned have been expected for some time, but, as is the case with many other things, the pandemic delayed them until now. The schedule of an International Olympic Committee decision for the Games of 2030 and the event in 2034 is unclear, but the upcoming discussions are timed well for either of the years. The talks will not be too early to the point they are rendered irrelevant by the time a decision is made, and they will not be too late to the point they are rendered meaningless by the time of an opening ceremonies.
The discussions, though, need to be focused. It seems, as an example, some may want to sidetrack the talks to dwell on whether another Games should even someday occur in the Park City area. Decisions at that level have basically been made over the course of the work toward a second Olympics, essentially stretching since shortly after the close of the Games of 2002.
The leaders and the community instead must begin to pinpoint the opportunities of a second Games as well as the challenges. Some of them are widely known: another Olympics would further solidify the Park City area as the nation’s winter-sports capital, but a second Games also has the potential to compound difficult issues like housing and the broader ideal of affordability. Others may not reveal themselves until after a Games is awarded.
Any lighting of a second Olympic cauldron in the state is years off, but the gatherings this fall should at least provide a torch that the community can carry toward another Games.