Party at 3 a.m.? Pioneer Day parade campers will be asked to rise and shine for an Olympic party in Salt Lake City
It will be 3 a.m. on July 24 when the Gov. Spencer Cox inks the agreement for Utah to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, but that won't keep organizers from throwing a boistrous Pioneer Day party. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to officially name Utah as the host of the 2034 Winter Games on July 24, the same date as the state's Pioneer Day holiday. The vote will take place in Paris around 2 p.m. in Paris, which is 3 a.m., according to the local organizing committee. The IOC’s vote will be livestreamed at the Salt Lake City & County Building and other festivities are planned around the event. However, Governor Spencer Cox will not be present for the celebration as the State of Utah has been named the financial guarantor for the Games, meaning it is on the hook for any cost overruns. Political backing for Utah's bid has been key to its success, with the state approving a resolution last year to authorize the return of the Games and enter into contracts to establish the Winter Coordination Committee.
Pubblicato : 10 mesi fa di in Sports Environment
The day may start early for the thousands who opt to camp out along the route of the Days of ’47 parade this year.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to officially name Utah as the host of the 2034 Winter Games on July 24, the same date as the state’s Pioneer Day holiday. The vote is scheduled for around 2 p.m. in Paris … which is 3 a.m. in Salt Lake City.
Despite the early hour, the local organizing committee hopes Utahns will celebrate the honor in real-time. The IOC’s vote will be livestreamed at the Salt Lake City & County Building and other festivities are being planned around the event. The downtown celebration may also be livestreamed back to the IOC meeting in Paris.
Thousands of people will likely be in the area anyway. It is tradition for people to camp out alongside the route of the annual Days of ’47 Parade that commemorates the holiday.
“July 24th holds a very special [place] in the hearts of Utahns, and that day is about to get even more prominent,” Gov. Spencer Cox told the Legislature’s Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Coordination Committee on Tuesday.
“Sadly, it will be about 3 in the morning. But for those who don’t sleep, like me, …it’ll be a little bit of a party.”
Cox will not be stateside for the celebration, however. The State of Utah has been named the financial guarantor for the Games, meaning it is on the hook for any cost overruns. And Cox, who will be part of a large Utah delegation traveling to Paris for a final presentation to the IOC, said he will be prepared to affirm that responsibility for the state if given the opportunity.
“I’m ready and eager,” he said, “to sign the Olympic host contract on that day.”
While Cox would be wise to pack a trusty pen, the moment of celebration is not yet guaranteed.
On Wednesday, the IOC’s Future Host Commission will give its final recommendations to the executive board regarding who should host the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics. Salt Lake City is widely expected to get the 2034 Games, especially after the commission deemed it an example for other prospective hosts following an April site visit.
The 2030 edition, meanwhile, will likely go to France. However, France’s lack of a firm venue plan and recent political turmoil create a slim chance of forcing the IOC to swap editions or call for a 2030 alternate.
The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games has said it will be “willing and able” to host either edition. In recent years, however, it has voiced a preference for 2034 in order to distance itself and potential sponsors from the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Political backing has been key to the success of Utah’s bid, SLC-UT President and CEO Fraser Bullock told the Olympic legislative committee Tuesday. On the eve of the Future Host Commission’s recommendation, local organizers seized the opportunity to emphasize the support they’ve gotten from city and county mayors, the legislature and the governor.
“The reason we’re the only bid that’s viable right now isn’t because other places didn’t want to. They did,” Cox said. “Lots of other cities wanted this, but they didn’t have the political support necessary.”
Cox also referenced a poll that showed 79% of Utahns support hosting another Olympics.
“That’s unheard of. It’s unparalleled,” Cox said. “You can’t get 79% of Americans or Utahns to agree that the sky is blue right now. And yet, we agree on this.”
The Legislature last year passed a pair of resolutions declaring its support for the return of the Games and authorizing the state to enter into contracts and make assurances to bring them back to Utah. At the same time it established the Winter Games Coordination Committee, which on Tuesday unanimously voted to express continued backing for the effort.
In a busy week for the local Olympic movement, SLC-UT on Monday unveiled its projected budget for the 2034 Games. In their presentation to the committee Tuesday, and in response to questions by Rep. Kera Birkeland, they stressed that not a cent of their $2.83 billion operating budget nor their $4 billion total budget would be borne by state and local taxpayers.
Bullock said it will be “a huge milestone” if the IOC agrees to put Utah’s bid to a vote of its general membership on July 24. But organizers aren’t waking up to a win just yet.
“The victory lap will be July 24 at about 5 a.m,” Bullock said. “So we’re continuing to work. Until then, we feel very good that everything’s lining up. It’s a lot of work. But the victory lap is just around the corner.”
Temi: Olympics