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Olympic/Paralympic Exploratory Committee (OEC) discusses state’s readiness to host games during initial meeting
SALT LAKE CITY (November 21, 2017) – A new statewide poll shows 89 percent of Utahns are in favor of hosting a future Olympic Winter Games.
“Historically the citizens of Utah have been extremely supportive of Utah hosting the Olympic Winter Games,” said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission and co-chair of Utah’s Olympic/Paralympic Exploratory Committee (OEC). “The results of the poll are clear: Utah and its citizens are ready, willing and able to host the games again.”
Conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, the poll surveyed 600 people across the state from November 14-21 and has a margin of error of four points.
“In many ways, we are even better prepared to host the games today than we were 15 years ago,” said Senate Pres. Wayne Niederhauser, who also co-chairs the OEC. “With such strong support from people across the state we can continue our work as a committee to verify that we are as able as we are willing and ready to host again.”
The OEC held its first official meeting yesterday at the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office. Meeting agenda items included budget, transportation, venues, environment and climate, legal, Utah economic impact, promotional value, and public opinion. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) previously announced its desire to put forth a bid for an upcoming Winter Olympics, but still has yet to determine a specific year. For now, the Utah-based OEC is preparing for future games, without knowing when the next bid window will be.
“Our ongoing commitment to building an Olympic legacy has allowed us to utilize our facilities to host additional events and play an important role in training American athletes,” said Fraser Bullock, who served as COO of SLOC for the 2002 games and is co-chair of the OEC. “Clearly that has helped keep the Olympic spirit burning in the hearts of the people of our state.” The OEC will provide recommendation to its board by February 1, 2018. Future OEC meeting dates are