- The Utah 2034 Olympic Committee's Provo stop focused on community engagement and planning.
- Provo will host 2034 Olympic ice hockey at Peaks Ice Arena, said Fraser Bullock, the chairman of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
- Mayor Judkins highlighted Provo's readiness; Bullock praised past and current leadership.
PROVO — Members of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee continued a statewide "listening tour" Monday afternoon. This latest stop was in Provo to hear directly from city leaders about what hosting the Games could mean for the community.
Provo is set to once again become an Olympic venue city in 2034, just as it was during the 2002 Winter Games.
Men's and women's Olympic ice hockey competitions are scheduled to be held at the Peaks Ice Arena.
"We are so excited about Provo. It's going to be a hotbed of competition," said Fraser Bullock, the chairman of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee. "We want to partner with Provo to make this experience just extraordinary for everybody who comes."
Organizers said these meetings go far beyond where the competitions will be held. Besides public celebrations for the games, including concerts, food trucks and events, Olympic planners also want to hear what cities need when it comes to transportation, infrastructure and what kind of long-term legacy the games leave behind.
"Let's dream big. Let's think of new ideas and things to make this exciting for everybody," Bullock said.
The stop in Provo comes at the same time a new administration is beginning.
Mayor Michelle Judkins was sworn into office just last week.
She said the city is already well-positioned, thanks to planning done years in advance.
"The prior administration did amazing things with the airport, which is super important, with the ice sheet, which is super important," said Judkins. "I think this is something almost everybody in Utah can agree upon that the Olympics are a great thing, and we want to welcome them here."
Bullock agreed and said he was excited to work more with Provo's new city leadership as Olympic and Paralympic planning ramps up over the next eight years.
"We worked so well with Mayor Kaufusi. She did such a great job," said Bullock. "Now we're excited to work with Mayor Judkins because she'll have her own vision and work with her constituents to figure out what does Provo want to accomplish in the lead-up to the games and during the games."
One of the changes discussed during Monday's meeting is reconfiguring the rink at the Peaks Ice Arena to NHL-size standards rather than international dimensions.
It's a shift from 2002, with professional players now competing in the Olympics.
"It needs to be narrower, which actually opens up some opportunities for reconfiguration of locker rooms and things like that," Bullock said.
Organizers said Provo is part of the tour's first phase, which focuses on cities hosting events.
Future meetings will expand to communities across Utah that may not host competitions but still want to be involved in the Olympic experience.
Public outreach, volunteer recruitment and broader community engagement are expected to ramp up in the coming years.
"It's extremely exciting. I have always loved watching the Olympics," Judkins said. "Even though I have never been to one, except for the one here in Utah, you can just feel the amazing unity that comes to the world during the Olympics, and I think that Utah and Provo is a perfect place."
For now, Olympic planners say these early conversations are about planning ahead.
There are only 2,951 days to go until the 2034 Opening Ceremony.
"One of the themes that I've always had is always stay ahead," Bullock said. "You never want to get behind, and fortunately, with Provo, it's one of the great success stories of any ice sheet anywhere. Being an Olympic venue, and then being a community venue, and now we can take that great success and take it to the next level."
