Colin Hilton, who led the effort to keep Utah’s 2002 Olympic venues operating, providing icy recreation for Utahns and maintaining the sites for reuse during the 2034 Winter Olympics, has died.

Hilton, the longtime president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, died Friday at home, the foundation announced Saturday. A cause of death was not released. He was 58.

Natalie Gochnour, chair of the foundation’s board, said in a statement that Hilton was “a steward of Utah’s living Olympic legacy. He more than anyone else, ensured that Utah’s Olympic imprint remained active, relevant, future-oriented, and connected to the communities it serves.”

With Hilton at the helm, the foundation said it has maintained three of the major venues from the 2002 Winter Olympics: the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, where bobsledding, luge, skeleton and ski jumping events took place; the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, the long-track speedskating venue; and the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, where the biathlon and cross-country skiing events were held.

In recent years, the foundation has kept those venues running both for Utah residents and for competitions at various levels — such as the national championships in synchronized skating, held at the Olympic Oval in March.

In March, Hilton told The Salt Lake Tribune that hosting such events “gives these athletes from other countries a familiarity with Utah.”

Utah 2034, the group organizing the state’s next Olympics, previously announced plans to reuse the Olympic Oval, the Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow for the events held at those venues in 2002. The 2034 Paralympic Winter Games is slated to hold events at the Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow. Hilton was a member of Utah 2034’s executive committee.

Brad Wilson, CEO of Utah 2034, said in a statement that he was “heartbroken” by Hilton’s death. “Colin gave decades of his life to Utah’s Olympic movement and helped turn the legacy of the 2002 Games into something that continues to serve athletes and communities every day,” Wilson said.

Fraser Bullock, president and executive chair of Utah 2034, said in a statement that Hilton “played a key role in helping us win the bid for the 2034 Games. But where he really excelled was in elevating our legacy and bringing real value to communities. … He also used his role to bring together national and international winter sports leaders, strengthening our Utah 2034 team and adding greater value to all sports.”

During the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Hilton managed the Park City area Olympic venues. That led to a brief stint as Park City’s economic development director, a job that included redeveloping the China Bridge parking structure behind Old Main and overseeing construction of the recreation complex at Quinn’s Junction, the Park Record reported.

Hilton left Park City government in 2006 to take the lead of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

Before working on the 2002 Games, Hilton served in leadership roles with the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Hilton also was credited with helping get eight ski clubs along the Wasatch Back to merge into Park City Ski and Snowboard, which trains more than 1,000 athletes and is one of the largest winter sports clubs in North America.

Calum Clark, the foundation’s chief operating officer, has been named the acting president and CEO. In a statement, Clark said he was “struggling to find the right words for the loss of Colin.”

“He was my colleague, my leader and most importantly my friend,” Calum said. “Colin was a longtime mentor before he became my boss. I learned an enormous amount from him, and I know I’m only one of many people whose lives and careers are better because Colin was part of them.”

Matthew Prince, the CEO of Cloudflare and Utah’s richest person, wrote on X Saturday that Hilton “was kind, thoughtful and a relentless advocate for Utah sports and the athletes who participate in them.”

In a post on X Saturday, Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams called Hilton “a champion of Utah’s Olympic and Paralympic legacy. … Colin understood that the Olympic legacy is about inspiring future generations, supporting athletes and strengthening our communities. His leadership helped make that vision a reality.”

A list of surviving family members was not immediately available. Plans for memorial services have not yet been announced.