US city officially named to host 2034 Winter Olympics

Salt Lake City was officially named host of the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games on Wednesday (July 24), NBCOlympics.com defeated.

The International Olympic Committee has approved a return to the capital of Utah, which previously hosted the 2002 Winter Games, the last time they were held on U.S. soil. The committee also awarded the 2030 Winter Games to the French Alps region, pending expected government approval.

Salt Lake City launched its bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2018, and the IOC announced that the city had been recommended for “targeted dialogue” for the future event last November. Last month, the IOC Executive Board announced that it was recommending that IOC members vote on Salt Lake City’s selection during a session held in Paris on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

“I think Salt Lake City would be ready to start the Winter Olympics tomorrow,” said the chairman of the IOC Future Host Commission Karl Stoss last month via NBCOlympics.com.

The next Winter Olympics are scheduled for 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Olympics, six years after the Summer Games are first held in the U.S. in 2028.