Salt Lake City Twenty Years After the 2002 Winter Olympics

Artist: Holli Yoho

When SLC Lit the Fire Within

An American flag, recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center, was carried into the stadium by eight American Olympians. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the crowd of 52,000 looked on in silent reverence. The lyric, “Gave proof through the night, that the flag was still there” touched with a new poignancy.

Later in the evening, the Olympic cauldron was lit by the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey team and fireworks emblazoned the night sky. The 2002 Winter Games officially began.

The opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Games were held at Rice-Eccles Stadium on February 8th, 2002. After years of meticulous planning, it was finally Salt Lake City’s time to shine. The ceremony, and the subsequent games, went off without a hitch. For the following month, our quaint city transformed into the shining epicenter of the world’s biggest sporting event. Utahns shared the best attributes of our home with the world: volunteerism, hospitality, and the greatest snow on Earth.

Two decades have passed and we can now look back on the experience of hosting the Olympics with some objectivity. What lasting effects have the Olympics had on our economy? What has become of the infrastructure that was built to support the event?

And what are the odds of having another chance to play host?

Orchestrating the Olympics

Salt Lake City’s journey to hosting the Olympics was long and bumpy. The city’s bid for the games was tainted by an international bribery scandal. According to the Deseret News, one third of Salt Lakers opposed hosting the games and there was contentious debate about the long term impacts of inviting the world to the Wasatch. On top of that, the nation was still reeling and on high alert following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.

The concerted effort it took to bring the games to Utah and execute them so flawlessly cannot be overstated. The planning process was managed by highly capable organizers who thought through every detail of the event. The construction of facilities was efficient and forward thinking. Thousands of volunteers, 26,000 to be exact, welcomed international guests with warm smiles and joyful energy.

We recently had the opportunity to learn in-depth about the logistics from Salt Lake resident Dave Ream, who was involved with the 2002 Olympics through his work for the Forest Service. Mr. Ream coordinated a tree planting program to offset the environmental impact of the games. “Every detail was carefully thought out–from what to do with food waste to how to deal with the lead waste at Soldier Hollow.”

Home Depot, a corporate sponsor of the Olympics, donated approximately ten thousand trees. Congress approved a large sum of money to support the initiative. Mr. Ream delivered the trees to elementary schools across Utah between 1998 and 2002. Students and teachers planted and cared for the trees, most of which are still thriving today.

While there was a fair amount of hesitation among Salt Lakers before the games, most people now agree that the cost of hosting has paid off in the long run. According to Mr. Ream, “The Olympics ended up being a good value for Salt Lake City.” He cites the improvements to infrastructure, such as the freeway interchange known as “the spaghetti bowl”, as perks that residents are still taking advantage of today. “The burden to taxpayers was minimized and we ended up with improved infrastructure.”

The Long Game

Long time Salt Lakers agree that the 2002 Olympics were a turning point in our city’s coming-of-age story. It was our global debut as a premier winter sports destination. While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact number of people and businesses that have moved here as a result of the Olympics, the population boom since 2002 is undeniable.

Physical reminders of the 2002 Olympics are strewn around the city: some benches at bus stations and license plates have the 2002 logo. There are the gigantic ski jumps on the mountainside and numerous venues that are still used for training. In addition to “the spaghetti bowl”, another important souvenir is the Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah, connecting student housing–originally built as athlete housing–to the campus. The Utah Transit Authority finished the first two lines of light rail in time for the games and now most of the valley is accessible by Trax.

We attended the ceremonial relighting of the flame at Rice-Eccles Stadium on February 8th, 2022. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Fraser Bullock, all spoke hopefully about the odds of hosting again. Salt Lake has already been selected as the U.S. bid city for 2030. Whether these hopes will turn into a concrete reality probably won’t be decided for more than a year. But public support is high and SLC is poised to be a strong contender.