Officials with the Park City and Summit County governments did not receive seats on the board of the organizing committee that will plan and stage the 2034 Winter Olympics, leaving City Hall and the County Courthouse without direct representation as the preparations for the Games are expected to broaden.
The absence of any officials from Park City or Summit County was one of the notable points in the Friday announcement of the board. The conceptual Games map includes three Park City-area competition venues — Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park — and the environs are also expected to be critical to the blueprints for transportation, security and celebrations.
Neither were the mayor of Salt Lake City nor any other local government official in Utah, a difference between the Salt Lake City-Utah bid committee and the 25-member organizing committee, Olympics officials pointed out, although Erin Mendenhall is named as an honorary chair.
“You’ll also notice that there are no elected or governmental staff persons from any jurisdiction on our board,” Olympic committee spokesperson Tom Kelly pointed out. “It’s just bad governance to do that!”
He said local governments would have significant roles on other committees that will be named in the near future. Such officials did serve on the bid committee finished up its service in 2024 after winning the 2034 Games last summer.
From the Park City area, however, Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn, who lives in the Park City area, was named to the executive committee. Sophie Goldschmidt, the president and CEO of the Park City-based U.S. Ski & Snowboard, is a member of the organizing committee board.
Fraser Bullock, who led the bid committee that secured the Games for the state, is the executive chair and president of the organizing committee, while dropping his role as CEO of the bid committee. He is a veteran of the 2002 Winter Olympics organizing committee, serving as the No. 2 staffer during much of the preparations in the earlier era.
Brad Wilson, a former speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, was named the vice chair and CEO, while Steve Starks, the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company, is another vice chair. Wilson has been tapped to lead the operations of the organizing committee on a day-to-day basis.
“The 2002 Olympic Winter Games left a big impression on me, from supporting my wife, Jeni, in the Olympic torch run through our community to seeing the 9-11 flag come into Rice-Eccles stadium and being there for Apolo Ohno’s first gold medal,” Wilson said in a prepared statement released by the organizing committee. “We have a wealth of experience on our organizing team. It’s an honor for me to lead them as we look to engage communities across our entire state over the next nine years leading up to the Games.”
The organizing committee will have broad influence over the next nine years as the Olympic region prepares for the Games. It is expected that the group will work closely with Park City and Summit County leaders as details are crafted for the venues, the transportation network and the celebrations.
The organizing committee is likely to ultimately enter into broad agreements with the two governments that outline the roles and responsibilities of each side. Similar agreements would be expected between the organizing committee and the competition venues.
The organizing committee said there will be additional committees upcoming, including one described as a steering committee “to provide advisory support, with broad community and sport engagement.” Local government officials will likely have a role in the other committees.
“I am excited to see the exceptional Utah Olympic organizing team announced today, and on behalf of Park City, I am fully committed to supporting them as we work toward our common goal of delivering a successful 2034 Olympic Games. I look forward to sharing the leadership roles that I, along with other community leaders, will play in this united effort,” Park City Mayor Nann Worel said in a prepared statement.
The organizing committee members:
Leadership:
- Executive Chair & President: Fraser Bullock, Alpine
- Vice Chair & CEO: Brad Wilson, Kaysville
- Vice Chair: Steve Starks, South Jordan
Honorary chairs:
- Gov. Spencer Cox
- Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
Honorary vice chairs:
- Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams
- Utah Speaker of the House Mike Schultz
Executive committee:
- Fraser Bullock, Alpine (Executive Chair & President)
- Sarah Hirshland, Colorado Springs, Colorado (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO)
- Chris Kinney, Stockbridge, Georgia (Team USA Athletes’ Commission, Olympian)
- Steve Starks, South Jordan (Vice Chair)
- Gene Sykes, Los Angeles (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair)
- Lindsey Vonn, Park City (Olympian)
Organizing committee board:
- Mindy Benson, Cedar City
- Fraser Bullock, Alpine (Executive Chair & President)
- Muffy Davis, Sun Valley, Idaho (IPC Governing Board, Paralympian)
- Anita DeFrantz, Santa Monica, California (IOC Member, Olympian)
- Spencer P. Eccles, Salt Lake City
- Allyson Felix, Los Angeles (IOC Member, Olympic Champion)
- Sophie Goldschmidt, Park City (National Governing Body Council)
- Manny Guerra, Jr., Plymouth, Minnesota (Paralympian)
- David Haggerty, London (IOC Member)
- Sarah Hirshland, Colorado Springs, Colorado (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO)
- Kathleen Holding, Sheridan, Wyoming
- Jack Hollis, Dallas (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee)
- Brett Hopkins, Salt Lake City
- Sarah Hughes, New York City (Olympian)
- Chris Kinney, Stockbridge, Georgia (Team USA Athletes’ Commission, Olympian)
- Crystal Maggelet, Salt Lake City
- Oksana Masters, Louisville, Kentucky (Paralympian)
- Abby Osborne, Salt Lake City
- Dexter Paine, New York City (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee)
- Steve Price, Salt Lake City
- Ryan Smith, Provo
- Steve Starks, South Jordan (Vice Chair)
- Gene Sykes, Los Angeles (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chair)
- Lindsey Vonn, Park City (Olympian)
- Brad Wilson, Kaysville (Vice Chair and CEO)