Fraser Bullock: Salt Lake’s 2002 Olympic Legacy and Hopes for a Future Games

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In only a few months, it will be the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, one of only three destinations in the United States to have hosted the Winter Games. The 2002 Games was Utah’s introduction to the world and was held under high security with 9/11 having happened less than six months before the Opening Ceremony. The Games ended up turning a huge profit that led to the creation of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, which continues to this day, and every venue that was used in the 2002 Games remains operational. With that in mind, Salt Lake City will be bidding to host the Olympics again, either in 2030 or 2034. In this episode, SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub sat down with Fraser Bullock, the chief operating officer for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and current president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake City–Utah Committee for The Games that is bidding again to discuss the legacy of the 2002 event and Bullock’s hopes for a future Games.

• Some of the best memories when looking back at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games (2:24)
• How Salt Lake organizers were able to pivot quickly, after years of planning, to address security concerns after the September 11 attacks (4:58)
• Bullock’s admiration for how the Tokyo organizers were able to hold the 2021 Games through the COVID-19 pandemic (8:22)
• Remembrances of former IOC President Jacques Rogge, who presided over the 2002 Games and recently passed away (10:15)
• Being the first Olympic organizing committee to organize both the Olympic and Paralympic Games (11:24)
• Feeling pressure during the leadup to 2002 knowing the event was Salt Lake’s introduction to the world (13:30)
• The 2002 Games’ legacy in growing Utah’s ski business into a billion-dollar industry and turning the region into a year-round sports destination (15:04)
• Establishing the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and its work in the past two decades (17:30)
• Avoid the “White Elephant” problem of other Olympic Games and international competitions with the venues that were built for the 2022 Games (19:35)
• What has it taken to keep as many of the 2002 venues online (21:44)
• The status of bidding to host the Olympic Winter Games either in 2030 or 2034 (23:50)
• The balancing act needed when communicating between the USOPC and IOC about future hosting duties (25:24)
• Salt Lake City’s standing and reputation throughout the Olympic worldwide landscape (26:05)
• The future of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee’s top issues it faces in a changing world (27:22)
• What makes him and others who were involved in the 2002 Games feel strongly about having a second Winter Games in the future (29:50)

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