- West Valley City's Maverik Center will host figure skating and short track speedskating in the 2034 Winter Olympics.
- Mayor Karen Lang is excited about the change from hockey to figure skating events.
- Renovations and security upgrades are planned for the Maverik Center before the 2034 Games.
SALT LAKE CITY — The switch in the sports that will be held in West Valley City's Maverik Center arena during the 2034 Winter Games from hockey to figure skating and short track speed skating is a big deal for the mayor of Utah's second-largest city.
"Actually, I'm kind of excited about figure skating," West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang told reporters Wednesday evening, following a private meeting between city leaders and Olympic organizers at the arena, the latest stop in an ongoing "listening tour" of venue communities.
"In 2002, I went to more figure skating than I did hockey, just for that same thing," Lang said, acknowledging figure skating is seen as the premier event at the Winter Games. "Then the short track, I think, is going to be really fun. I've not really watched it a lot."
The city-owned arena that was then named the E Center hosted the men's and women's ice hockey championship matches during the 2002 Winter Games, including Canada's victory over Team USA to clinch the first gold for men in a half-century.
Utah's bid for a second Olympics and Paralympics for athletes with disabilities called for West Valley City to once again host ice hockey as part of the plan to reuse nearly all of the same venues from 2002.
But just hours before the Utah Mammoth debuted at the Delta Center in October 2024, Ryan Smith, the new National Hockey League team's owner, announced Olympic hockey was coming to his arena in downtown Salt Lake City in 2034.
"Surprise! Lot of enthusiasm today and we are very excited to partner with Ryan and the NHL," was the reaction from Fraser Bullock, president and executive chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The move means the Olympic events expected to be held again at the Delta Center, which is undergoing a makeover as part of a massive downtown revitalization effort, are moving to West Valley City's arena.
Hockey has been a big part of the Maverik Center. A bronze statue of two hockey players battling over a puck commemorates the venue's Olympic history, but its time as the home of a minor league hockey team ends this season with the departure of the Utah Grizzlies.
West Valley City's mayor said the switch "is really going to change the whole look of what is going to be at the Maverik Center," making the next Olympics an even bigger opportunity for the city.
Brad Wilson, the organizing committee's CEO, said after the meeting that "it's way too early" to say what big international competitions will now be coming to the Maverik Center ahead of 2034.
"Rest assured, the frequency of qualifying events, World Cup events, will accelerate as we get closer to the Games and this venue will be participating in that as well, for sure," Wilson said, adding there was discussion about using those competitions to engage the community.
Access to the arena was also a topic Wednesday, the mayor said.
"We know we have some pinch points," Lang said, including getting in and out of the Maverik Center's sprawling parking lot. There's time, she said, to work with the Utah Department of Transportation "and get some of that moved around."
What taxpayers may fund in West Valley City for the Olympics
Another goal is to get the Maverik Center "up to snuff" by 2030, the mayor said, including "a little bit" of renovation that's needed to accommodate figure skating. Mostly, though, the work that needs to be done is "the stuff that nobody will ever see," she said.
"Mainly, it's the upgrades to security," Lang said. "Things have changed in the last 25 years, so it's just those modernizing and doing the seismic upgrades and things like that."
Because decisions haven't been made on a final design, she said there isn't a price tag yet for the project that is expected to require at least some taxpayer funding. Wilson said it's up to West Valley City to determine the funding source.
The organizing committee's $4 billion budget for staging the Games, all from private sources such as sponsorships and ticket sales, calls for only "minor capital investments of $39.7 million" in venues, although more will be spent on temporary infrastructure in 2034.
Related:
Olympic hockey at the Delta Center? How the 2034 Winter Games venues are already changing
The head of Utah's next Olympics wasn't expecting Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith to announce a venue change for the 2034 Winter Games."We're going to be working with West Valley as they start to envision what they would like this facility to look like to make sure it aligns with how our vision looks for the Games," Wilson said. "There's investment that needs to be made. We'll collaborate with them and try to figure out the best path forward."
In 2023, an $80 million funding request to state lawmakers from the Olympic Legacy Foundation listed the cost for Maverik Center renovations to seats, locker rooms, restrooms, infrastructure, restaurant and concession areas, luxury suites and video boards at $20 million.
Already, Utah taxpayers have invested more than $90 million in the state's Olympic venues, including a $40 million appropriation by the 2023 Legislature. The money is intended to keep the venues up and running for community as well as elite athlete use.
How West Valley City expects to celebrate the 2034 Games
The mayor said a lot has changed in West Valley City since Utah's last Games.
"Between '02 and now, our population has gone up, our diversity has gone up and our restaurants have really elevated," Lang said. "When I go to a restaurant, I see people, friends or whatever, from South Jordan or Bountiful because we have unique and really good food here."
Asked about whether the 2034 Winter Games will be affordable for residents, she noted organizers are committed to offering tickets priced as low as $34. But attending competitions is only one part of the Games, Lang said.
Her favorite memory in 2002, she said, was mingling with the Olympic crowds.
"Yeah, the figure skating was good," the mayor said. "But we liked the (nightly) medals ceremonies with the different musical groups. That was totally free. ... I know we'll have watch parties in West Valley with the big screens and people around and the sense of community."
