How Salt Lake City will remain at the 'heart' of Utah 2034 Olympics despite name change

SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of Utah's capital city were taken aback by the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' decision last month to drop Salt Lake City from the name of the global event.

However, they remain committed to the cause as planning continues.

Organizers of the Utah 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics met with Salt Lake City leaders, as well as representatives of the area's business and tourism sector, as part of a statewide "listening tour" that made its way to the primary host of the Games on Tuesday.

While the meeting was held behind closed doors, the two sides discussed how they want to help everyone in Salt Lake City to feel like they're part of the event, such as possibly setting aside event tickets for residents or setting up Olympic experiences in the city, said Fraser Bullock, president and executive chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and Rachel Otto, chief of staff for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

There was little, if any, mention of the name change.

"One of the things we recognize, first and foremost, is that Salt Lake City is at the heart of the Games," said Fraser Bullock, president and executive chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, standing a few blocks from the center of many events.

Utah's capital city will host the opening and closing ceremonies, which means it will be the "beginning and the end" of the 2034 Games, Otto points out. It'll remain the home of Olympic Village, and many of the events will still take place within city limits.

This is why organizers still gave a consolation prize of sorts, adding Salt Lake City to its primary logo.

"Salt Lake City is still going to be the hub of the Games. ... (But) we also want to see every Utahn benefit from the Games," she said. "And we're excited to welcome the world. We're still planning on doing that, regardless of what the Games are called."

Both sides agreed that it's important to move on so that both sides can participate in the Games if they so choose, and to elevate businesses. Bullock believes the name change won't dissuade residents from participating, since many of the events will be in their backyard.

Some of Tuesday's meeting included how to keep business flowing through downtown when the security checkpoints and events clog the area. Early planning and communication helped businesses thrive in 2002, he said.

There were also discussions over how Salt Lake City will look vastly different by 2034, especially downtown. Smith Entertainment Group and Salt Lake County are in the middle of finalizing a land purchase agreement that will launch the redesign of the Salt Palace Convention Center. County leaders say the remodel could be complete by 2031.

It's part of a massive redesign of downtown outside of the remodeled Delta Center, which includes a new plaza over 300 West. Salt Lake City, on the other hand, wants to complete its "green loop" wrapping around downtown ahead of the Games, and Utah Transit Authority is eyeing a fourth light-rail line that would connect Salt Lake City International Airport with Olympic happenings at the University of Utah via downtown.

"It's motivating ... to get the construction complete and be in a good position to welcome massive amounts of people and host great events," Otto said. "We're all working toward this unified goal of making it a really special place for 2034."

The meeting was part of the first phase of the listening tour, focusing on host cities. Olympic organizers are scheduled to meet with West Valley City and Provo leaders next month.

They plan to visit other cities as part of another phase, seeking to see how they can make everyone feel involved in Utah 2034, Bullock added.

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