Salt Lake City 1st in U.S. to seek Games

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City on Wednesday became the first U.S. city to announce its intentions to bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics as this year’s games get ready to kick off in South Korea. The city’s Olympic exploratory committee concluded after a months-long analysis that Utah could host the Winter Games again without losing money thanks to existing venues and the budget expertise of a team that put on the 2002 event.

The committee’s 140-page report, which includes a budget estimate of $1.35 billion, will be sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee, said Fraser Bullock, Utah panel co-chairman. Bullock will be in Pyeongchang this month and plans to meet with officials from both boards.

Utah's bid would focus on Salt Lake City being a reliable and experienced Olympic city that could host at a lower cost than other places, which state officials believe aligns with the IOC's “Agenda 2020” blueprint for future Olympics. It calls for fewer billion-dollar projects and more venues already in place.

Salt Lake City could face competition from Denver and Reno, which are considering bids. Other cities weighing the move include Sion (Switzerland), Calgary, Stockholm and Sapporo.

Salt Lake City, which prefers the 2030 Winter Games but is open to 2026, has a “reasonable” chance because of its history of hosting alpine events and the success of the 2002 Olympics, but the IOC would prefer a European city for at least one of those slots, according to Chicagobased sports-finance consultant Marc Ganis.

European voters have consistently rejected Olympic plans since Russia spent $51 billion on infrastructure for the 2014 Sochi Games. Voters in Austria last year rejected a proposed 2026 bid by twotime host Innsbruck.

Ganis said it’s worth Salt Lake City's time to pursue the slot, considering the dwindling list of cities willing and able to host the Winter Olympics. Only two cities bid for the 2022 Winter Games.

The state plans to tout that its bid, whose estimated budget excludes security costs covered by the U.S. government and transportation, has widespread support from residents and top leaders.