As planners prepare for the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, one large priority is the “listening tour” being held by organizers in the communities that will host the games. Already, the tour has been conducted in Kearns, Park City and Salt Lake City, and on Jan. 7, one session was held at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.

Members of the Organizing Committee for the Games joined with athletes and local officials to discuss the venue where figure skating and short track speed skating will be held in 2034. Brad Wilson, CEO for the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, spearheaded the discussion with West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang.

“Figure skating and short track speed skating will be very iconic parts of the Games of 2034,” Wilson said. “We talked about a lot of things that are unique to this community. One thing I was impressed with was the city’s commitment to education, and how the Games can be inspirational to young people."

Wilson said he was surprised to learn that “this is a very young city,” and a city with very big families. 

“The great thing about these listening tour stops is we get to see the characteristics and personalities of each community,” he said. “West Valley shows those in very impressive ways. We’re excited to have them as a partner and look forward to working on a lot of things between now and the Games.”

He said tour participants talked about the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, the size of it and how it can be used both during the 2034 Games and for events leading up to them. Lang expressed her gratitude for the chance to meet with organizers, especially so far in advance of the Games.

“It’s a great opportunity to work with the committee,” she said. “They are such an important part of the Olympics going forward as one big, coordinated piece. We appreciate their help, their guidance and their willingness to work with us.”

She’s also excited about having qualifying events between now and the Olympics, as the Maverik Center will host several of those, and give the community a chance to come out and see what the Olympics are going to be like. 

“For our youth, it’s just going to be phenomenal to watch those events march forward to the actual Games,” she said. “Hopefully, they’ll want to volunteer and spark something in one of those young ones who really want to be Olympians. We heard from a couple of young athletes today who said they saw an event that changed the directions of their lives. I’m really looking forward to our kids having that same opportunity.”

Lang said she doesn’t have any big concerns at this point, with the Game still eight years away. She said the city wants to work on improvements to the Maverik Center, updated looks and seismic upgrades. Lang said transportation improvements will be an important part of the future, including better access into and out of the Maverik Center parking lots. 

She’s also excited that figure skating will be held in West Valley City, saying, “I went to more figure skating events than I did hockey in 2002. We’ll be hosting visitors from all over the world here, and our city has a lot of diversity and different languages spoken, which will help visitors feel welcomed.”

Wilson said there may be some new Olympic events for the 2034 Games, but those determinations will be made by National Governing Bodies much closer to the games. The Maverik Center will host the U.S. National Synchronized Skating Championships March 4-7, a sport that hopes to be an Olympic event in the future. Lang said she hopes fan engagement will be a factor in choosing which events the 2034 Games will include. She also said Utah is likely to see many other events on the ice or the slopes leading into the Games.