The 2002 Winter Olympics were a resounding success for Salt Lake City, Utah. So the city has decided to throw in its hat for the chance at hosting another Games, either in 2030 or 2034. The opportunity is an exciting prospect for the state, both from a cultural and economic aspect. It’s an opportunity for the Utahns to show their growth, and the committee has deployed big-name-skier Lindsey Vonn to represent their bid.

Vonn will be joining two top leaders from the US Olympic and Paralympic committee, CEO Sarah Hirschland, and USOPC Board Chairwoman Susanne Lyons.

Lindsey Vonn is headed to Switzerland

The retired alpine skiing icon, Vonn, is among the ten Olympic and Paralympic athletes on the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. She was announced as a delegate representing the committee a few days ago, to which she tweeted, “Happy to help the US with their bid to get the Olympics back to Salt Lake City in 2030. 🇺🇸 #olympics”.

The Olympic champion took to Instagram to express her excitement. She wrote, “Next stop Switzerland! Proud to be on the Executive Board for the Salt Lake City Olympic bid. I will be meeting with the International Olympic Committee over the next few days along with Fraser Bullock, CEO of the committee, and other members to present our bid. Looking forward to this opportunity to try and bring the Winter Olympics back to Salt Lake. Wish us luck 🙏🏻❤️🇺🇸”.

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In Switzerland, the committee will hold important meetings with the IOC. The agenda is to decide on the specifics of Utah’s hosting plans. The currently proposed price tag stands at $2.2 billion. Vonn, having known IOC President Thomas Bach, will be meeting with him separately.

Will Utah win the bid?

Right now, Utah’s biggest competition for the 2030 Winter Games is perhaps Sapporo, Japan. Sapporo last held the Winter Olympics in 1972. Vancouver, Canada is also in the race, eyeing another slot for the Olympics two decades after the 2010 Games. Making the list is another strong contender –  Barcelona, Spain.

But, the 2028 Summer Games being scheduled in Los Angeles, complicates Utah’s chances to win the bid. Bullock  claimed that “Geopolitically, it’s hard for the IOC to award back-to-back Games in the U.S., for ’28 and for ’30.”

The IOC Executive Committee will make its choice in December. They will announce the final ratification by the full membership in May 2023. With Lindsey Vonn on the panel, is it possible for the USA to bag back-to-back Games? Or will Salt Lake City have a higher chance of scoring the 2034 Olympics?

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