Freestyle skiing fans could be headed to Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park in 2034.
And snowboarding enthusiasts may want to be at Park City Mountain and the Utah Olympic Park that February.
The group seeking to hold the 2034 Winter Olympics in the state on Wednesday released a list of the proposed competition venues for a Games, identifying Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park as key locations. The three — each a competition venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics — have long been on the concept map for a second Games and the information made public on Wednesday had been anticipated.
According to the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, the proposed map of the competition venues includes:
• Freestyle skiing at Deer Valley, Park City Mountain, the Utah Olympic Park and downtown Salt Lake City.
• Snowboarding at Park City Mountain, the Utah Olympic Park and downtown Salt Lake City.
• Alpine skiing at Snowbasin.
• Bobsled, skeleton, luge, ski jumping and the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined competition at the Utah Olympic Park.
• Cross-country skiing, biathlon and the cross-country skiing portion of the Nordic combined at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway.
The bid committee has previously said Deer Valley is slated to host the freestyle skiing disciplines of aerials and moguls. The precise skiing and snowboarding competitions Park City Mountain and the Utah Olympic Park have not been determined.
The map outlined on Wednesday further solidifies the notion that Park City and surrounding Summit County would have a large role in a Games, as was the case during the Winter Olympics of 22 years ago. The area would be critical to the transportation, security and celebration planning, and the selection of the venues as well as the competitions that will be held at each location will heavily influence the other aspects of the preparations.
“We salute the commitment of our proposed venues and their respective communities,” Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the bid committee, said in a prepared statement. “Over the past two decades, they have all remained resolute in their dedication to sport and are an active part of Utah’s sports culture.”
Bullock also acknowledged the possibility of alterations to the map in coming years. He said changes in ownership of the locations, the addition of sports to the Winter Olympic program or opportunities involving new venues could lead to revisions.
“Events in the Games have also increased nearly 40% since 2002, so we will have time to evaluate the best placement,” he said.
Park City Mountain on Wednesday released a prepared statement from Deirdra Walsh, the vice president and chief operating officer, that it’s an honor to be included as a venue.
“The Olympics and all that they stand for mean so much to us here at Park City Mountain, and the legacy and spirit of the 2002 Games are deeply rooted in our community and our resort. Being selected as an official venue once again affirms Park City Mountain’s status on the global stage as a world-class destination resort, as well as our commitment to the spirit and inspiration that the Olympic Games spread across the world,” Walsh said.
Deer Valley released a prepared statement from Todd Bennett, the president and chief operating officer, describing the resort as being “thrilled.”
“We are eager to welcome the world for mogul and aerial ski competitions. The collaboration and partnership with the Salt Lake City Utah 2034 organizing committee have been great so far, and we look forward to further strengthening this relationship as we progress towards an official bid and the future Games,” Bennett said.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to award the Games of 2034 to Salt Lake City during meetings in Paris in July, on the eve of the Summer Olympics in the French capital.
The bid committee released the information about the venues a week before the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee is scheduled to visit Salt Lake City and the region. The Future Host Commission has a pivotal role in the selection process of Winter Olympic and Summer Olympic cities and plans to make stops at various locations that would be important to a Games in 2034, including Park City Mountain and the Utah Olympic Park.