Salt Lake City was the site for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and now the International Olympic Committee has voted to officially award the 2034 Winter Games to the capital of Utah once more. To note, this is the fifth time that the U.S. has hosted the Winter Games.
In ten years, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah. ❄️🏔️😍
We can't wait to see the best snow and ice sports athletes in action again!
📸 Jay Dash Photography, courtesy of the Utah Office of Tourism#SLCUT2034 @stateofsport @USOPC_News pic.twitter.com/mGCNdO1tbR
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 24, 2024
"We are ready. Everything is in place," the leader of the Salt Lake City bid committee, Fraser Bullock, stated. "But beyond our physical assets, you can count on our people. As great as our venues are, our people are even better."
However, not everything went smoothly during the meeting as the IOC brought up controversy, since they evidently are not too happy that the U.S. has brought in the FBI to further investigate the Chinese swimmers, who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2021. That is to say, the IOC pushed Utah officials to end the ongoing FBI investigation into the suspected doping scandal.
For those who don't know, many Chinese swimmers all tested positive for the drug trimetazidine a few years back, and The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) didn't bat an eye, as they accepted the explanation of "contamination," letting the Chinese compete at the 2021 Tokyo Games. The U.S. officials have re-opened this matter heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics, as they have authority to do so after the Russian scandal amid the 2014 Winter Games.
With this in mind, Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, wants to make sure WADA has all say on doping cases in Olympic sports.
The IOC added a stipulation to Salt Lake's contract, as the host city they have to be responsible for helping shut down the investigation, which evidently calls on Utah Governor Spencer Cox's influence.
"That was the only way that we could guarantee that we would get the Games," Gov. Cox said in regards to respecting the supreme authority of WADA."They can withdraw the Games from us."
Nevertheless, as it stands, after a vote of 83-6, the Olympics are coming to Utah in 10 years, as the next Summer Olympics will also be held in America, when looking at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
