Just over two weeks out from its presentation to the International Olympic Committee in Paris, the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games announced its delegation team and highlighted the vision it will present to the full IOC membership on July 24. A seven-member presentation team will include key elected officials, SLC-UT 2034 and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee leaders, along with Olympic and Paralympic stars.
“This is a remarkable team that recognizes the positive impact of sport in our state and nation, along with the preparedness we bring in our quest to return the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Utah,” said SLC-UT 2034 President and CEO Fraser Bullock.
As the delegation leader, Bullock brings a wealth of business and Olympic sport management experience. Utah’s top elected official, Governor Spencer Cox, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall are integrally involved with the presentation. SLC-UT 2034 Chair Catherine Raney Norman, a highly-respected four-time Olympian, has led the board and forged valuable relationships with local and sport communities. The efforts of SLC-UT 2034 have been aided by U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board Chair Gene Sykes, a noted Olympic leader and candidate for IOC membership at the upcoming IOC Session.
The team will showcase athlete presentations from Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, along with Paralympian Dani Aravich, a world champion Para nordic skier.
Bullock highlighted the key principles that will be illustrated by the 30-minute presentation. At its core is a vision of elevating sport, communities, and the Games experience. The presentation will showcase a Games Master Plan with one athlete village and all venues within one hour. It is a sustainable plan in alignment with the IOC's vision, with no permanent venue construction needed.
As chief of athlete experience for SLC-UT 2034, Vonn will highlight an athlete-centric plan that includes an initiative to create a family village to better support families of athletes. Vonn resides in Utah and made her Olympic debut there in 2002. Aravich, who has competed in both summer and winter Paralympics, will tell the story of how Utah sport leaders and programs provide her the pathway to achieve her dreams.
Utah’s vibrant economy and diverse culture will be key topics for Governor Spencer Cox. Mayor Mendenhall will discuss the vibrancy that sport brings to communities, as well as to highlight a focus on sustainability across all venue communities and the state of Utah.
There will be three mayors with the delegation. Mayor Mendenhall will be joined by Mayor Jenny Wilson from Salt Lake County and Mayor Nann Worel from Park City. Raney Norman will speak to the role Utah’s living legacy has played now for over two decades, both with athletes as well as communities that are drawn closer together through sport. Vonn and Aravich are among a group of 10 Utah-connected athletes who will be at the IOC Session, including speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson and 13-time Paralympic medalist Chris Waddell, both of whom make Utah their home.
To amplify its principle of sport as a key community catalyst, three teenage athletes will be in the SLC-UT 2034 delegation – each of them an active participant in local sport programs.
That group includes luge athlete Orson Colby, Riverton, Utah; speed skater Emma De Bock (Farmington, Utah); and figure skater Kate Pressgrove (Heber City, Utah). Pressgrove got her start in a Youth Sports Alliance program in Park City and trains with Park City Figure Skating. Colby trains with the Wasatch Luge Club at the Utah Olympic Park. De Bock is a figure skater turned speed skater, coming out of 2002 gold medalist Derek Parra’s program at the Utah Olympic Oval.
The presentation was produced by Scott Givens, whose Emmy-award-winning FiveCurrents creative production firm is globally acclaimed for its work on highly impactful ceremonies and live productions. Givens was managing director of ceremonies and creative for the 2002 Winter Games. FiveCurrents worked in collaboration with Salt Lake City-based Boncom on the production.
The SLC-UT 2034 bid presentation to the entire IOC Session is scheduled at 11:00 a.m. on July 24, following the 2030 pitch from the French Alps. It is a 30-minute presentation followed by questions from the IOC membership.
Following presentations by the French Alps for 2030 and Salt Lake City-Utah, the IOC will hold the elections around 12:00 p.m. in Paris at the 142nd IOC Session. A CELEBRATE 2034 watch party and celebration is planned in downtown Salt Lake City’s Washington Square with live coverage from Paris starting at 3:00 a.m. MDT.
SLC-UT 2034 DELEGATION
Presentation Team
Utah Governor Spencer Cox
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
Gene Sykes, President, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Fraser Bullock, President & CEO, SLC-UT 2034
Catherine Raney Norman, SLC-UT 2034 Board Chair, SLC-UT 2034
Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Champion, Park City
Dani Aravich, Paralympian, Salt Lake City
Elected Officials
Stuart Adams, President, Utah Senate
Mike Schultz, Speaker, Utah House of Representatives
Jenny Wilson, Mayor, Salt Lake County
Nann Worel, Mayor, Park City
Jon Hawkins, Utah House of Representatives
Olympic & Paralympic Athletes
Brittani Coury, Paralympic Medalist
Jimmer Fredette, Paris 2024 Olympian
Erin Jackson, Olympic Champion
Kaysha Love, Olympian & World Championship medalist
Derek Parra, Olympic Champion
Chris Waddell, Paralympic Champion
Youth Athletes
Orson Colby, Luge, Riverton
Emma De Bock, Speedskating, Farmington
Kate Pressgrove, Figure Skating, Heber City
SLC-UT 2034 DELEGATION BIOS
Spencer Cox, Governor, State of Utah - Governor Spencer Cox, Utah’s 18th governor, serves as honorary chair. A sixth-generation Utahn, Governor Cox has a long track record of public service – serving in roles at the city, county and state level before being appointed as Utah’s lieutenant governor in 2013. He was sworn in as governor on Jan. 4, 2021. He and his wife Abby have raised four children. He grew up on a farm in Fairview before attending Utah’s Snow College, Utah State University, and received a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City - Mayor Erin J. Mendenhall, Salt Lake City’s 36th mayor, serves as honorary chair. She took office on Jan. 6, 2020. Mendenhall grew up in Salt Lake City. While attending the University of Utah she gained an interest in science and public policy, leading to a career focusing on improving Utah’s air quality and protecting its environment. Her activism led to an elected role on the city council in 2013. As mayor, she has focused on making the city environmentally and economically resilient and taking advantage of the region’s historic period of economic opportunity.
Fraser Bullock, President & CEO - An impactful leader as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Fraser Bullock is highly regarded in the global community for his work in the Olympic Movement. In 1999, he set aside his business career to help lead the Games after a successful tenure with Bain & Company, Bain Capital, and other business enterprises. Since 2002, he served as a partner at Sorenson Capital and in board roles for a host of global companies, as well as staying closely connected with Olympic and Paralympic sport.
Catherine Raney Norman, Board Chair - A four-time Olympic speed skater who competed in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 and still holds U.S. records, Catherine Raney Norman is a well-respected athlete leader. She served for a decade on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Athletes’ Advisory Council where she rose to vice-chair and also serves as vice-chair for the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. She has also worked in athletic and business roles at US Biathlon, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, University of Utah, USA Climbing and United States Association for Blind Athletes.
Gene Sykes, USOPC Board Chair - A longtime partner at Goldman Sachs & Co., Gene Sykes took a leave in 2015 to guide the Los Angeles bid committee as CEO, culminating with the awarding of the LA28 Games in 2017. He left LA28 a year later but has remained very active in the Olympic Movement. The respect he earned has led him to become a nominee IOC membership. In 2022 he was elected chair of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Sykes has degrees from Harvard and the Stanford, where he has served as a trustee. He has held numerous board roles including past chair of The Nature Conservancy and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Champion - One of the most acclaimed athletes of all time, Olympic downhill ski racing champion Lindsey Vonn serves as chief of athlete experience. Her engagement with SLC-UT 2034 leaders has helped forge an innovative direction for 2034 to create an athlete family village. Vonn grew up ski racing in Minnesota before moving to the Rocky Mountains as a young teen. She went on to win a record 82 World Cup victories, taking four overall season titles and 16 discipline crowns. She won three Olympic medals, including the 2010 gold in downhill. Today she makes Utah her home, with a big focus on her Lindsey Vonn Foundation which helps to empower young female athletes.
Dani Aravich, Paralympian - Dani Aravich was born in Boise, Ida. without her left hand and forearm. She begrudgingly took up track and field in high school and quickly found success and became involved in the adaptive sports community. A scholarship athlete at Butler, after college she landed her dream job in professional sports with the Utah Jazz. While training for the Tokyo Paralympic Summer Games, Utah sport leaders recruited her as a Para nordic skier. In 2021 she competed in Tokyo and doubled up with winter in Beijing. In 2023 she helped her relay team to a gold medal in the Para Nordic World Championships in Sweden.
ADDITIONAL DELEGATION ATHLETES
Brittani Coury - Lost a leg as a result of a snowboarding injury as a young teen, but continued to pursue her sport winning Paralympic silver in 2018 snowboard banked slalom.
Jimmer Fredette - Popular BYU basketball star who went on to a career in the NBA. Helped lead Team USA to gold in 3-man basketball at the 2023 PanAm Games and is competing with Team USA in Paris.
Erin Jackson - Made successful transition from inline skating to speed skating, training at the Utah Olympic Oval and winning 500m gold in 2010.
Kaysha Love - Utah native who made transition from track and field to bobsled, competing in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing an winning gold at 2023 World Championships.
Derek Parra - One of the stars of 2002, he carried the 9-11 flag into the stadium and went on to win gold and silver in long track speed skating. Today he is motivating the next generation of skaters as director of youth outreach for the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.
Chris Waddell - One of the greatest Paralympians of all time, won 12 winter and one summer medal. Longtime Utah resident who now engages audiences worldwide with his One Revolution foundation.
YOUTH ATHLETES
Orson Colby (Riverton) - As an 11-year-old, Orson Colby discovered luge while working on a Boy Scout merit badge. He is a product of the living legacy of the 2002 Winter Games, training with the Wasatch Luge Club on the 2002 sliding track at the Utah Olympic Park and receiving scholarships from Youth Sports Alliance. Now 18, Colby has won national titles, and competed in the 2023 Youth A Continental Cups and the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.
Emma De Bock (Farmington) - Emma De Bock discovered figure skating at the Utah Olympic Oval, switching to speed skating in 2023. Now 15, with just one season in the sport, she finished fourth in the 500m at the U.S. Open Junior Championships. She is presently top in the nation in three distances in her age group. Today she trains in the Utah Olympic Oval development program under Olympic champion Derek Parra.
Kate Pressgrove (Heber City) - A Black figure skater, 15-year-old Kate Pressgrove is breaking barriers in her sport – winner of the 2022 Mable Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Developmental Award from U.S. Figure Skating for a promising BIPOC Figure skater. A family member introduced her to figure skating as a young girl, taking advantage of programs near her hometown offered by the Park City Figure Skating Club and scholarships from the Youth Sports Alliance.