On the Road to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games
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Photo Courtesy Utah Division of Travel Development/ Jerry Sintz, photographer
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Since 1966 Utah has been bargaining with the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) members to bring the Olympic Games to Salt Lake City. A
few decades of narrow defeat has not allowed Utah to have given up so
quickly.
In January 1966, Salt Lake City was chosen as the American candidate city to
host the 1972 Olympic Winter Games. It was in April of that year that
the IOC chose Sapporo, Japan as host for the 1972 Olympic Winter Games.
In 1967, not wasting any time, Utah immediately put in a bid for the 1976
Olympic Winter Games. This time competing against fellow U.S. cities
Denver, Colorado, Seattle, Washington, and Lake Placid, New York.
Denver was chosen. In January 1973, Denver withdrew and the United
States Olympic Committee unanimously named Salt Lake City as the
replacement candidate. In February 1973, the IOC chose
Innsbruck, Austria to host the 1976 Olympic Winter Games.
In June 1985, Salt Lake City competed against Anchorage, Alaska, Reno,
Nevada and Lake Placid, New York to become the candidate city for the
1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games. Anchorage was chosen as the USA
candidate but lost to Albertville, France for the 1992 Games and to
Lillehammer, Norway for the 1994 games.
In June 1989, Salt Lake City was named USA candidate city for the 1998
Olympic Winter Games, but in 1991 the IOC named Nagano, Japan to host
the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. Utah and Nagano were in a field that
also included Jaca, Spain, Ostersund, Sweden, and Aosta, Italy. Salt
Lake City lost by a 46-42 final vote to Nagano.
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Photo Courtesy Utah Division of Travel Development/ Jerry Sintz, photographer
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In March 1994, the deadline is closed by the IOC for cities applying to host
the Olympic Winter Games of 2002. The cities applying for the games were
Alma Ata, Kazakistan, Graz, Austria, Jaca, Spain, Ostersund, Sweden,
Poprad, Slovakia, Quebec City, Canada, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Sion,
Switzerland, Sochi, Russia, and Tarvisio, Italy.
January 23-24 1995, Salt Lake City is selected by the IOC as one of the
four finalist cities to host the Olympic Games of 2002. Other finalists
were Quebec City, Canada, Sion, Switzerland, and Ostersund, Sweden.
Later that year in June, Salt Lake City was named the host of the
Olympic Winter Games of 2002 at the 104th IOC Session in Budapest,
Hungary in the first ballot vote. Salt Lake City received 54 votes,
followed by Sion and Ostersund with 14 votes each. Quebec City received
seven votes.
Although with an unwelcome notoriety following the taint of corruption
that surrounded Salt Lake City's selection, the city will host the
Olympic Winter Games in February 2002. The largest city ever to host
the Winter Games, Salt Lake City has already prepared for the most
prestigious event of its history.
-- Darryl Hawtin, for SLAM! Sports
