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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mitt Romney wasn't at a celebration of the 2034 return of the Winter Games held during International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach's visit last week, but he still received "very special thanks" for leading the state's last Games more than two decades ago.
"We all have still beautiful memories of 2002, " Bach told the business, community and political leaders gathered in the Grand America Hotel garden Saturday, adding that the reason he came to Utah was "to shape with you the future, based on the past, based on this very solid ground of the extremely successful Games in 2002."
Utahns "have it all," the IOC president said, urging the state's leaders to "think big" as they plan to host another Games.
Romney's contribution as the businessman who turned around the once-troubled organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Games should not be forgotten, Bach said, without directly mentioning the Salt Lake City bribery scandal where more than $1 million in cash, gifts and scholarships handed out by 2002 bidders upended the global Olympic movement.
"I would like to offer a very special thanks here to Sen. Mitt Romney, who was leading these Games, this organizing committee in 2002, under extremely difficult circumstances," the IOC president said. "And he did it so successfully and with such a unifying spirit that today, most of us have forgotten about the difficult circumstances, the difficult circumstances from within and without."
Bach, responsible for many of the IOC's post-scandal reforms, said "Mitt was able to get over it. To look to the future, to look to the organization of the Games, to look to the life after the Games. And for this, we at the IOC are grateful to him until today. He was also a key reason, his support for 2034, we have been taking this decision for 2034."
Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games that's behind the 2034 bid, was also recognized for his role as Romney's No. 2 in the state's first Winter Games. Bach said Bullock "was key for 2002″ and is "the man who made it happen" again for 2034.
"Dear Fraser, it's just great to see you again in the lead in this great endeavor," the IOC president said, noting Bullock is expected to continue in that role in the transition from a bid to an organizing committee that's coming by the end of the year. "This gives us the necessary confidence that we will have a great Games in 2034."
Bach spent two days in Utah as part of a U.S. visit that also included stops at the United Nations in New York City, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee headquarters in Colorado Springs, and Los Angeles, the site of the 2028 Summer Games. Bach has held the IOC's top spot since 2013, but his final term ends next year.
Romney has not spoken recently with the IOC president, but responded to Bach's comments about Utah's readiness.
"When it comes to hosting the Winter Olympics, Utah does 'have it all,'" the Utah Republican said in a statement. "Our state is a leading hub for winter sports. We have an economy that is resilient and growing. Our sporting venues and infrastructure are well-kept. We have the 'Greatest Snow on Earth.' And the people of Utah — who possess a unique spirit of service and fellowship — are invaluable."
