At 7 p.m. MST on Friday, February 10, 2034, the opening ceremony for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will begin at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. An estimated three billion people from more than 200 countries will watch the event.
Few Single Events in Utah History Compare in Reach and Significance
The Beehive State will be the global center of attention for 17 days of Olympic competition and pageantry, followed by 10 days of Paralympics. During this time an estimated 15 billion viewer hours of Olympic coverage will feature extraordinary feats of athletic accomplishment and human excellence…
- A come-from-behind curling team victory.
- A courageous downhill ski racer beating the odds.
- A women’s figure skater skating the performance of her life.
While athletic excellence, international friendship, and global connection will be the undeniable focus of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the event also poses an extraordinary opportunity for Utahns.
Even with Utah’s well-documented exceptional economy, our state is changing fast. And even as Utah prospers, serious challenges pose a threat to Utah’s long-term success.
How can Utah leverage the Olympics to sustain the state’s nation-leading prosperity in the face of rapid change and mounting challenges?
Fortunately, the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games serve as a powerful catalyst to make Utah even better. This catalyzing Olympic pressure is Utah’s Olympic-sized opportunity. This monograph shares data on Utah’s economic successes, growth and change, and troubling challenges.
It ends with insights, along with seven ideas, that serve as a starting point for a statewide discussion about how Utah can seize its Olympic-sized opportunity.
This Keepers of the Flame monograph from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute highlights the opportunity for Utah, along with the challenges, as the state progresses towards the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Click below to download the full report.
KEEPERS OF THE FLAME
Utah’s Olympic-Sized Opportunity
Published Sept. 23, 2025
University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
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