Let the (countdown to the) Games begin.
The Winter Olympics are coming back to Utah in 2034.
Salt Lake City’s 2002 Olympics saw the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” USA hockey team light the cauldron, 16-year-old American figure skater Sarah Hughes pull off one of the sport’s biggest upsets and Apolo Ohno’s breakout gold.
It’s too early to tell what the Games will bring a decade from now, but here’s what you need to know so far.
When are the 2034 Winter Olympics?
Olympics - Feb. 10-26, 2034
Paralympics - March 10-19, 2034
This will be the fifth time the United States has hosted the Winter Games and the first since Utah did it in 2002.
Where will events be held?
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Victoria Upwall, 11, and Aubryn Sago and Colson Sago skate at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Organizers say every 2034 event will be within an hour’s drive of the athletes’ village at the University of Utah.
No new permanent venues will be constructed. Colin Hilton, president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, says most of the 13 venues from 2002 “will need little more than cosmetic improvements to be ready to welcome the world in 2034.” A total of $31.2 million has been set aside to renovate the Utah Olympic Oval, Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow.
With about 30 new events that have been — or will be — added to the Games, work still needs to be done. The most interesting new site will likely be the downtown big air skiing and snowboarding ramp. The massive scaffolding for the ramp is expected to be built on Block 85, the parking lot just north of the Delta Center.
Still, Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, says a lot can change in 10 years, including the venue plan. Salt Lake City’s leaders are considering building a permanent medals plaza as part of the new downtown redevelopment plan. If the Delta Center is renovated for Utah’s new NHL team, medal-round hockey games could be played there.
Olympic Venues
Block 85 (medals plaza, freestyle and snowboard big air)
Deer Valley Resort (freestyle aerials and moguls)
Delta Center (figure skating, short track speed skating)
Park City Mountain (freestyle and snowboard halfpipe and slopestyle)
Snowbasin Resort (alpine skiing)
Maverik Center (hockey)
Peaks Arena (hockey)
Rice-Eccles Stadium (opening Ceremony, closing Ceremony)
Salt Palace Convention Center (curling, Main Press Center, International Broadcast Center)
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (cross country, biathlon, Nordic combined)
Snowbasin Resort (alpine skiing)
University of Utah (athlete village, athlete family village)
Utah Olympic Oval (long track speedskating)
Utah Olympic Park (bobsled, freestyle skicross, luge, Nordic combined, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard parallel, snowboardcross)
Paralympic Venues
Block 85 (medals plaza)
Maverik Center (para ice hockey)
Rice-Eccles Stadium (opening ceremony, closing ceremony)
Salt Palace Convention Center (wheelchair curling, Main Press Center, International Broadcast Center)
Snowbasin Resort (para alpine skiing)
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (para Nordic)
University of Utah (athlete village, athlete family village)
Utah Olympic Park (para snowboard)
How much will it cost Utah to host?
The overall budget is $3.99 billion, with $2.83 billion of that going toward the Games’ operations.
Organizers say there will be “no use of state or local taxpayer dollars” to cover the operating costs. They estimate $1.19 billion in ticket sales and hospitality revenue, $1.8 billion from sponsorships, $750 million in contributions from the International Olympic Committee and $200 million in licensing and merchandising.
According to the Kem C. Gardner Institute, the state can expect to see a return of $2.6 billion in Games-related expenditures over the decade-long runup. And that can be extrapolated out to $6.6 billion in total economic impact, which includes $3.9 billion in state gross domestic product and $2.5 billion in personal income gains.
Can you get tickets?
With ticket sales expected to cover a third of the Olympics’ pricetag, organizers say there are “going to be some really expensive tickets.” But they also plan to sell 34,000 tickets for $34 (but don’t expect to see a gold medal figure skating program at that price).
The committee has set aside 40% of an estimated 2.8 million tickets to be sold to Utahns. Those will be allocated by lottery, similar to the system that was in place in 2002.
Can you volunteer?
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation is already seeking volunteers to help out with events in the decade-long run-up to the Games.
But it will likely be some time before anyone can sign up to volunteer for the real thing. Applications to be one of the 45,000 volunteers in Paris this month opened in March of 2023.
