Utah’s bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics stood in stark contrast to its peers this week for one simple reason: The state is already prepared to host the Games — and not necessarily just in 2034.
Utah 2034 officials were among a cadre of future Olympic and Paralympic hosts — from Los Angeles 2028 to Brisbane 2032 — who delivered progress updates Tuesday to the International Olympic Committee’s general assembly.
Christophe Dubi serves as the IOC’s coordination commission chair for Utah’s Olympics, whose role is to evaluate the host’s readiness and keep it on track. In his report, he extolled the broad approval of the Olympics in Utah and said the venues are in better shape now than they were 10 years ago.
“I have [found] all the conditions for these Games to be outstanding,” Dubi told the IOC members. “The only thing I urge Utah 2034 to do is not to start planning for these Games. Think about innovations. Think about the legacy. Think about ‘Elevate,’ but let’s not plan.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director, joins a tour of the Utah Olympic Park while visiting Olympic venues in the Park City area for the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
Dubi also advocated for including Utah in a Winter Games rotation, if the IOC decides to go that route.
“Salt Lake City could be a great model,” he said, “where we actually make the rotation model a reality.”
Other hosts did not get the same advice or admiration from their evaluators. In particular, the French Alps, which will host the next Winter Games in 2030, was taken to task.
Organizers acknowledged they are behind schedule in several areas, according to Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, the coordination commission chair for the 2030 Games, including unresolved plans for its speedskating venue.
“Several key decisions are still pending,” Beckers-Vieujant warned, “and the pace of delivery must accelerate across all work streams.”
Beckers-Vieujant noted that France has been dealing with political upheaval that is expected to extend into at least 2027. That means, he added, that 2026 will be “absolutely critical for the success of the project.”
IOC members also seemed concerned about Brisbane 2032’s widespread footprint. The exact location of all of its venues has not been determined, organizers said during their presentation.
Utah expects to use the same venues as it did in the 2002 Olympics. The variations from that plan may include the likely use of the Utah Olympic Park — which is also the venue for the bobsled, luge and skeleton events — for some ski or snowboarding events in 2034. Big air, a new event since 2002, is slated to be held in a temporary venue near the Medals Plaza.
In addition to having its venues settled, Utah appears far ahead of most of its predecessors in terms of fundraising.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fraser Bullock, the president and executive chair of the 2034 organizing committee says a few words during the Podium34 announcement, on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.
Fraser Bullock, the president and executive chair of Utah 2034, announced at Tuesday’s session that its Podium34 initiative — which taps into some of Utah’s wealthiest families and foundations by using some of their donations to support causes dear to them — has raised $250 million. That’s a $50 million increase since the program was unveiled in September.
That tally also does not include a donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced earlier Tuesday. The amount of that donation has not been disclosed but a Church representative called it “significant.”
Utah 2034 organizers estimate the Winter Games will cost $4 billion, with a rough operating budget of $2.84 billion. They have promised they will use no public funding for the operation of the Winter Games.
In contrast, Edgar Grospiron, president of the French Alps 2030 organizing committee, said those Olympics will rely on public funding for 25% of its operating budget of $2.3 billion.
Brad Wilson, the CEO of Utah 2034, said the organizers will spend 2026 “future-proofing” their Games.
“We are prioritizing the critical building blocks that require long lead times: transportation, technology systems and venue optimization,” he said. “We have, as you know, a strong existing infrastructure. And in 2026 we’re focused on refining and future-proofing those assets that can serve the games and athletes for generations.”