SALT LAKE CITY — International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was all smiles as he greeted reporters gathered at the Salt Lake City International Airport’s Hoberman Arch Friday.
Bach said he didn’t recognize the airport, which has undergone a $5.1 billion overhaul, including the installation of the iconic arch from the 2002 Olympics medals plaza along the exit road. This is Bach’s first visit to Utah since the 2002 Winter Games. “It’s great to be back,” he said.
“The architecture, the art inside, fantastic,” the German Olympic champion fencer who will step down next year as committee president after leading the Switzerland-based organization since 2013. “I recognized the beautiful landscape but the airport is completely new and exciting to see.”
Bach, who has two packed days of meetings and venue tours about the 2034 Winter Games during his time in Utah, made a point of recognizing Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games who also served as the chief operating officer of the 2002 Games.
Calling Bullock “our good friend,” the International Olympic Committee president told reporters, “he made it in 2002 and promises to make it in ’34 again.” When Bullock noted Bach had served on the Olympic commission that evaluated Utah’s 2002 bid and “got everything started,” Bach jokingly reminded him, “I was even the chair. So I was here before you.”
What the Olympic leader will do in Utah
His time in Utah, which will include stops at venues at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns and the Utah Olympic Park near Park City, is expected to “be a great mixture of looking back to the wonderful Games of 2002 and then looking forward to even more wonderful Games in ’34.”
Bullock said what he really wants Bach to see in Utah are the young athletes who weren’t around when the state last hosted a Games more than two decades ago. “One of the things we know about President Bach: he loves the athletes, he loves the youth and the up-and-coming future Olympians and Paralympians. That’s probably the most important element.”
As the group headed to the arch for a photo opportunity, Bach replied, “It is.”
Christophe Dubi, the international committee’s Olympic Games executive director, told the Deseret News there will be discussions about the transition from bidding to organizing a Games. While the bid committee’s name is expected to be retained, the structure and membership has yet to be announced. The committee voted July 24 to award the 2034 Winter Games to Utah.
“What we want to discuss now are the ambitions for the next few months and plan the work ahead. So we’re happy that we could add the 2034 here and now it’s all about working together, in collaboration. So yes, this is what we’re going to discuss,” Dubi said. “First actions.”
Already, Bach has addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and met with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee in Colorado Springs during what may be his final swing through the United States as the head of the International Olympic Committee. He’s scheduled to spend time in Los Angeles, the host of the 2028 Summer Games, before leaving the country.
