One couple at the Utah Olympic Park on Wednesday to celebrate the awarding of the 2034 Winter Olympics to the state was ecstatic.
“Waking today to hear the news was pure magic! SLC 2034!” the couple wrote, drawing the Olympic rings next to the message.
Another person offered a message that was more blunt.
“Beat Russia!!! USA 2034,” the person wrote.
Many in the large crowd at the park on Wednesday provided brief written messages on an oversized torch made of cardboard. There were several people leaving messages at once at some points as they expressed their hopes for the Games of 2034 or recalled the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The event at the Utah Olympic Park was one of several in the Park City area and the Salt Lake Valley marking the International Olympic Committee’s selection of Salt Lake City as the host of the 2034 Games. The IOC made the selection during meetings on the eve of the opening of the Summer Olympics.
The naming of Salt Lake City as the host in 2034 was widely anticipated, but it nonetheless prompted an outpouring of pride in the community and talk of the hopes for the Games. The Park City area will be critical to the Games, with Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park identified as competition venues. The community will also be important to the transportation, security and celebration plans.
The Utah Olympic Park estimated the event drew 4,000 people. There was a mix of generations. Some fondly recalled the Winter Olympics of 2002, while others were born years later. There were Olympic pins dating from the 2002 era for sale and some early goods emblazoned with the year 2034 available. Resort executives spoke to the crowd about the excitement of the day.
The messages left on the cardboard torch, though, provided some of the most intriguing insights into the thinking of people at the event. The celebratory mood of the day likely influenced many of the people leaving messages, mostly anonymously or with a first name only.
Some of the messages:
• “Can’t wait for 2034! Go USA team!”
• “US figure skating! Let’s get gold! P.S. I’ll be there for bobsled.”
• “So (excited) 4 2034 Olympics.”
• “Well done PC & SLC U did it!”
• “I want to see some good hockey!!!”
• “Can’t wait for ice skating!”
• “Closing ceremonies were the best party I’ve ever been to!”
There was little talk on Wednesday of the extraordinary task ahead for the community as leaders plan for the Games. The messages reflected the joviality of the day rather than any concerns people may have about issues likely to arise in the talks about the Games, such as potential impacts on growth, traffic and affordability.
Olympics in the ‘backyard’
Park City Ski & Snowboard has produced a series of Olympians over the years, including gold medalists.
Ryan Devine, the youth development director at Park City Ski & Snowboard, said he believes some athletes who participated in the organization’s programs will be on the Winter Olympic team in 2034.
“I think it’s a good chance. We have a good track record,” Devine said.
Athletes from the organization often are named to the national teams. With a Winter Olympics “in their backyard,” athletes from Park City Ski & Snowboard could be especially motivated, Devine said.