SportsTravel Catches Up With Utah 2034 Chairman Fraser Bullock

When Utah hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2034, it will be a triumphant return to the site of the 2002 Games that are widely seen as one the most successful in recent history. Not only did the competition run smoothly, Utah was able to maintain its venues and improve them to be in line for the upcoming Games and possibly many more to come. At the helm then was Fraser Bullock. And at the helm now is Bullock again, who serves as chairman of Utah 2034.

SportsTravel caught up with Bullock in Milan to discuss the differences between organizing those Games and the current ones, and what the team in Utah is looking to improve the next time around.

SportsTravel: You’ve got the history with Utah from 2002. You’re here in Milan at these Games in a different era, in a different time, in different Games. What’s it like for you being here now compared to that experience leading up to the Games in 2002?

Bullock: It’s actually amazing to be here. It’s a little bit of déjà vu. I’ve seen the build-up to the Games. I know what’s coming. And most people that engage in the Games, it’s their first time. They’re trying to understand and figure it out. Fortunately, through this collaboration we have together with Milan and (2030 hosts) France we can all share ideas, progress, work on things, and we’ve got some new things to work on that are exciting. But it’s very nostalgic to be here in Italy to see what’s going on.

SportsTravel: How would you describe the main differences between the organization at this point for 2034, compared to where you would have been this far out in 2002?

Bullock: We didn’t exist this far out, because it’s eight years until 2034, and we got awarded the Games six-and-a-half years out from 2002. So where we are now is we’ve got an excellent plan with all the venues in place. Before, we had to build all the venues and organize all of our plans. We’ve still got the plans from 2002 that we can dust off and put them together. So I’d say the biggest difference, last time in ’02, we were just worried about the operation of the Games. This time, we know we can do that. Let’s elevate our sights and see what we can do bigger and better and more imaginative. So we’re super excited about that.

SportsTravel: You are off to a tremendous start. In fact, the IOC hinted the other day that they might want you to slow down. What do you make of that?

Bullock: It’s good advice because you don’t want to overspend. You don’t want to build a big organization. You want to be prudent with your financial resources. However, there are some long lead-time items that we can work on that make a big difference, like transportation, infrastructure, technology, and other areas like that. So that’s what we’re focused on. But we’re not doing our general planning at this point.

SportsTravel: Utah 2034 is in excellent shape because of the venues and the legacy that Utah has built over the years since 2002. What do you think your biggest challenges are right now as you look ahead? What needs the most effort right now?

Bullock: I would say it’s a challenge and an opportunity to say, “How do I make these Games different and elevate them?” We don’t want to just repeat 2002, although we want to have that great success. But how do we make them different, exciting, engage the youth? We’re focused on the opportunity to elevate the Games even further.

SportsTravel: And what are you looking for most while you’re here in Milan? What are you focusing on?

Bullock: I’m just looking at what we can learn. So every place I go, like I did in Paris, I say, “Wow, they did this differently.” They had the cheering sections in Paris that were so cool. I said, “What a brilliant idea.” So I’m looking for those new ideas that they’re putting together.