SALT LAKE CITY — Thirteen Utah venues have been identified as proposed Olympic venues by the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games as part of its preferred host bid file for the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the committee announced Wednesday.

The plan includes a core of existing venues along with bringing the new events of ski and snowboard big air into the heart of downtown Salt Lake City at Block 85, just northeast of the Delta Center.

"Our venue partners represent a modern, sustainable approach to sport," Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said in a statement. "They have continued contributing to Utah's sports legacy with ongoing programs and regular updates. And the ability to bring big air into downtown Salt Lake City will create great memories for athletes and spectators."

The plan includes all three Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation venues. It also features resorts, including Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort in Park City, along with Snowbasin near Ogden. Indoor arena facilities include the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Maverik Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. A single centralized athlete village will be located at the University of Utah, with a new athlete family village nearby. Opening and closing ceremonies are proposed to take place at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Here's a rundown of the proposed Olympic competition venues and their corresponding sports or events:

Snowbasin Resort

• Alpine skiing
• Para alpine skiing

Soldier Hollow Nordic Center

• Biathlon
• Cross-country skiing
• Nordic combined
• Para biathlon
• Para cross-country Skiing

Salt Palace Convention Center

• Curling
• Main media center
• Wheelchair curling

Delta Center

• Figure skating
• Speed skating (short track)

Downtown Salt Lake City

• Freestyle skiing
• Snowboarding
• Olympic Medals Plaza
• Paralympic Medals Plaza

Deer Valley Resort

• Freestyle skiing

Park City Mountain

• Freestyle skiing

Utah Olympic Park

• Freestyle skiing
• Nordic combined
• Snowboarding
• Para snowboarding

Maverik Center

• Ice hockey
• Para ice hockey

Peaks Ice Arena

• Ice hockey

Utah Olympic Oval

• Speed skating (long track)

Rice-Eccles Stadium

• Olympic opening and closing ceremonies
• Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies

University of Utah

• Olympic Village
• Paralympic Village

Related:

'A huge day for Utah': IOC names Salt Lake City preferred host of 2034 Winter Olympics

The International Olympic Committee named Salt Lake City as preferred host of the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, a major step forward in its bid to host the event.

Despite these venues being the early recommendations, Bullock noted that changes are likely over the next decade.

For example, Utah lawmakers approved a pair of notable bills during this year's legislative session tied to new stadiums. One creates the framework for a new arena for the NBA's Utah Jazz and a potential National Hockey League team downtown, while the other sets up a different framework for a Major League Baseball stadium in the city's Fairpark neighborhood.

It's not known if either stadium will be built or when, but it's possible that one or both could be constructed by 2034 even if the International Olympic Committee said the venues aren't required for the city to host the Games.

"Ten years is a long time and event locations will evolve based on ownership changes, new sports, or new venue opportunities," Bullock said. "Events in the Games have also increased nearly 40% since 2002, so we will have time to evaluate the best placement."

One of the most notable additions to the 2034 Olympic Games is the proposal to hold the skiing and snowboarding big air events — which became official Olympic sports in 2018 — in downtown Salt Lake City at the site of the Medals Plaza in 2002.

Park City native Colby Stevenson took home a silver medal in the event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

"Big air has been a remarkable event that has literally brought the sport to the people," Calum Clark, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation COO, said in a statement.

Clark has overseen similar events in downtown Denver's Civic Park and Boston's Fenway Park.

"Producing big air in the heart of Salt Lake City will be an iconic event destined to leave an indelible mark on the 2034 Winter Games," Clark said.

The nearly 700,000-square-foot Salt Palace venue would serve as the primary media center for the event, housing the International Broadcast Center.

A release from the committee said that it, along with venue leaders, are actively working with international sports federations to review venues and discuss specific events in each sport.

"We have had great collaborative discussions with each of our venue partners and their respective communities," Colin Hilton, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation president and CEO, said in a statement. "That spirit of partnership from our resorts, our commercial venues, and our public arenas has been gratifying and is a hallmark of our bid."

In November 2023, the IOC named Salt Lake City as the preferred host of the 2034 Winter Olympics and an election is anticipated for July at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris.

Contributing: Carter Williams

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