IOC Announces Hosts For 2030 And 2034 Winter Olympics

Ahead of the Paris Summer Games this week, the International Olympic Committee has officially elected the French Alps and Salt Lake City to host the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics respectively. The Winter Games appointments mark the fourth time France has been selected, the fifth time the games will be held in the U.S., and a return to Utah after 32 years.

The two cities were reportedly the only candidates as the IOC struggled to find additional countries willing and able to host due to infrastructural and environmental requirements. With the opening ceremony for Winter Games at the French Alps just five and a half years away, it will be the shortest preparation time for any recent Olympics.

For 2030, France plans to host most of its events at the ski resorts in the Alps while other events such as figure skating will be held at venues in Nice. Meanwhile, in Utah, figure skating will be held at the Delta Center, the home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, snowboarding events will be held in Park City, and skiing events will take place at Snowbasin Resort.

The campus of the University of Utah will serve as the Olympic Village. As introduced as part of their bid, Salt Lake City will be the first host city to offer an Athlete Family Village to host the relatives of the competitors.

“The Olympics and Paralympics represent so much more than competition,” Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox commented. “At its core, the Olympic Movement is about building community and celebrating excellence, things we do really well in Utah. More than 80 per cent of Utahns and 100 per cent of our elected leaders supported our Olympic bid. We’re ready to host another Olympic Winter Games, and we can’t wait to welcome the world back to Utah in 2034.”

A detailed outline on French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City – Utah 2034 are available via the Olympics website.

Images: Olympics

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong