2034 Winter Olympics

The new IOC bidding process was approved at the 134th IOC Session on June 24, 2019, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The key proposals, driven by the relevant recommendations from Olympic Agenda 2020, are:^[1][2]

• Establish a permanent, ongoing dialogue to explore and create interest among cities/regions/countries and National Olympic Committees for any Olympic event.
• Create two Future Host Commissions (Summer and Winter Games) to oversee interest in future Olympic events and report to the IOC executive board.
• Give the IOC Session more influence by having non-executive board members form part of the Future Host Commissions.

The IOC also modified the Olympic Charter to increase its flexibility by removing the date of election from seven years before the games, and changing the host from a single city/region/country to multiple cities, regions, or countries.

According to the Future Host Commission's rules of conduct, the new IOC bidding system is divided into two dialogue stages:^[3]

• Continuous dialogue involving non-committal discussions between the IOC and interested parties (City/Region/Country/NOC interested in hosting) with regard to hosting future Olympic events.
• Targeted dialogue with one or more interested parties (called preferred host(s)), as instructed by the IOC Executive Board. This follows a recommendation by the Future Host Commission as a result of continuous dialogue.

On November 29, 2023, per the recommendation of the Future Host Commission, the IOC Executive Board invited the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to targeted dialogue, with Salt Lake City—Utah named the preferred host and sole candidate for the 2034 Winter Olympics.^[4][5]

During the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on July 24, 2024, Salt Lake City was elected as host of the 2034 Winter Olympics, via a referendum to the 95 IOC delegates.^[6]

2034 Winter Olympics host city election

Region	NOC name	Yes	No	Abs
Salt Lake City—Utah	United States	83	6	6

The IOC insisted that Salt Lake City agree that it may "terminate Olympic host city contracts in cases where the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the world antidoping code is hindered or undermined." This was intended to undermine the United States Department of Justice's criminal investigation into the allegations that the World Anti-Doping Agency failed to sanction and covered up drug use by Chinese swimmers.^[7][8] However, IOC president Thomas Bach has attempted to alleviate concerns that the city could lose its second Olympics if organizers do not fulfill an agreement to play a peacemaker between anti-doping authorities. Bach downplayed the gravity of a termination clause that the IOC inserted into Salt Lake City's host contract in July.^[9]

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City had left a strong legacy, with venues constructed for the Games (such as Utah Olympic Park) having continued to host international events and world championships; in the 2013–14 period, Utah hosted 16 winter sports events, contributing $27.3 million to the state economy.^[10][11][12] The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee stated in 2022 that it was "already in dialogue with the IOC, not yet for a specific year but as part of their evolving process" over the possibility of Salt Lake City hosting a future Winter Olympics; the Committee had named Salt Lake City its preferred candidate for a future U.S. Winter Olympics in 2022, citing its existing infrastructure.^[13][14]

A report by the Future Host Commission For The Olympic Winter Games estimated that the games will cost $3.9 billion.^[15]

The Games will utilize nearly all the venues originally constructed for the 2002 Winter Olympics,^[16][17] but with some differences: alpine skiing will be hosted at Snowbasin instead of at Deer Valley and Park City, while big air events will take place at a temporary, 25,000-seat venue constructed on the former parking lot of the medal plaza from 2002. Curling will be held on a temporary rink at the Salt Palace instead of The Ice Sheet at Ogden; organizers cited an unwillingness to expand the Ogden venue with temporary seating, and a desire to host the event in Salt Lake City proper to capitalize on curling's growing American popularity.^[18]

In early-April 2024, organizing committee president Fraser Bullock stated that he would not rule out the possibility that facilities built for new or relocated professional sports teams in Salt Lake City (such as the proposed Power District Stadium, intended for a possible Major League Baseball team) could also be used, noting that the exact venue plans may evolve as the Games draw closer.^[18]

Later that month, it was announced that Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith had acquired the hockey operations of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL), and would relocate them to Salt Lake City. As part of the relocation, US$900 million was earmarked by the city to renovate Delta Center and construct a sports and entertainment district around the arena by October 2027.^[19] On October 8, 2024, ahead of Utah Mammoth's first home game, Smith announced that Delta Center would host ice hockey, with the Maverik Center hosting figure skating and short track speed skating instead. Bullock stated that he was caught off-guard by Smith's early announcement of the plan, but that he was "very excited to partner with Ryan and the NHL."^[20][21]

On March 13, 2025, the IOC announced that Comcast would become a "strategic partner" of the organization, which will include the renewal of NBCUniversal's long-running broadcast rights to the Olympic Games in the United States through 2036 under an agreement valued at US$3 billion, and see Comcast partner with the IOC on various technological initiatives, including co-developing new digital advertising opportunities, and assisting Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) with in-venue distribution and its Olympic Video Player service.^[22][23] NBCU was reportedly additionally motivated, and willing to pay a slightly higher price than its previous contract, by the 2034 Winter Olympics being hosted by the United States.^[23]

• 2034 Winter Paralympics

• List of IOC country codes