Bill Ciraco already has a plane ticket — a refundable one — to Italy with a departure date of Feb. 8 and the return flight 15 days later.
The first-term member of the Park City Council is flying in and out of Rome and traveling by train between the capital city and Milan, where he plans to attend the Winter Olympics on a fact-finding mission as the community continues the early work toward the 2034 Winter Olympics in Utah.
He has never been to a Winter Olympics, or a Summer Olympics, and described the upcoming trip to Italy as a chance to witness a Games with City Hall expected to have an important role in the organizing of the event in 2034.
“The greatest learning opportunity is observational,” Ciraco said.
The city councilor wants to witness “how they move the people” through the communities where competitions are held and how the organizers load and unload the spectators. Ciraco said he wants to observe the transportation systems, the security deployment and the infrastructure of the Games, as well as the public infrastructure used during the event. He wants to return with ideas about what could be replicated in Park City in 2034, along with what the community should avoid.
“I will look to have some concrete takeaways,” he said, adding that his presence in Italy could also build relationships with the organizers of the Games of 2034 and state leaders who are also expected to travel to Milan.
An itinerary is not finalized, but Ciraco also wants to spend time in the alpine venues that better resemble Park City than Milan does. Cortina d’Ampezzo, a mountain resort, will be of interest with it hosting alpine skiing and the sliding sports. There are other venue communities hosting some of the same competitions set for the Park City area that could also draw interest over the course of two weeks.
Ciraco will travel to Italy at his own expense unless he is ultimately deemed to be participating in the official delegation from Utah or an official delegation from Park City. He said he purchased the airline tickets early since he expects the prices will increase in coming months. He traveled to Paris at his own expense in 2024 for the awarding of the Games of 2034 to Salt Lake City.
Ciraco’s plans to attend the Games next winter are an early confirmation the municipal government will have a presence in Italy. It has seemed almost certain since the Games of 2034 were awarded that City Hall would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in 2026. The Games in Italy are one of only two Winter Olympics prior to 2034. There are also two Summer Olympics before then.
Each of the four Games would offer officials from Park City the chance to observe the operations, hold talks with counterparts, learn lessons from the business communities, and witness the impacts on the everyday lives of citizens.
Park City officials in the years before the 2002 Winter Olympics traveled extensively to Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics for the same purpose, culminating in a trip to Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Mayor Nann Worel and the City Council have not discussed plans for municipal travel to Italy. City Hall said it is anticipated the next mayor, who will be sworn into office in early January, will attend the Games. Any upcoming discussions about travel would also likely address whether City Hall desires to send staffers to the Games.
It is not known whether others from the Park City area are considering fact-finding travel to the Games in Italy, but the preparations for 2034 will involve a wide swath of the community. The Park City Chamber/Bureau and the County Courthouse, as examples, were represented at the Summer Olympics in Paris. There are also various figures who reside in or work in greater Park City who are members of the organizing committee that will host the Games of 2034.
The elected officials in Park City will have an important role in the crafting of the community’s blueprints for the Games. Park City is expected to be crucial to the transportation, security and celebration plans. Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park are identified as competition venues.