- Fraser Bullock, Utah's 2034 Olympics organizing committee chairman, will join the Milan torch relay, it was announced on Tuesday.
- Bullock previously ran the torch before the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics.
- About 80 Utah committee members will also observe Milan's Olympic celebrations for insights for their ceremonies.
SALT LAKE CITY — As the Olympic torch makes its way from the highest peaks of the Alps toward Milan, one of Utah's Olympic leaders is getting ready to carry the flame himself.
Fraser Bullock, chairman of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic committee, recently learned he will be part of the Olympic torch relay in Milan just one day before the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Games.
"I got the surprise invitation to be able to run the torch in Milan the day before the opening ceremony, and I'm so excited," said Bullock.
For Bullock, the torch carries a deep personal meaning of what the Olympics is all about.
"The torch is so special. It is the flame and it represents the spirit of the Games," he said.
This will be Bullock's third time participating in an Olympic torch relay.
He previously carried the torch for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
"I did it in '02, actually, in Staten Island in New York, right after 9/11," he said.
Bullock also ran the torch ahead of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, an experience that dates back even further in his life.
"When I was a little kid, I lived in Richmond, just outside of Vancouver, and that's where I ran the torch," he said. "It was a great experience."
Now, Bullock is helping plan Utah's Games that are still eight years away.
Being able to take part in the torch relay is a reminder that the Olympics are more than venues, budgets and planning meetings, it's about people and moments that stay lit long after the flame moves on.
"So, being able to do that is a real privilege," said Bullock.
Bullock will not be the only Utahn involved with the torch relay in Italy.
Several Utahns, including Gail Miller, are also expected to take part.
About 80 members of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic committee are traveling to Italy to observe how host communities are celebrating the Games, hoping to bring ideas back to Utah.
