2002 Olympic Games leave powerful legacy in Utah
Dec 9, 2021, 7:24 PM | Updated: Dec 10, 2021, 11:24 am
SALT LAKE CITY – As the 20th anniversary of the Salt Lake Olympics approaches, a new scientific study revealed the real impact of the Games on the Beehive State.
The study illustrated how places like Park City benefited by hosting the games and what they need to do better.
Park City’s Olympic legacy is visible from the city’s entryway.
Visitors can see ski jumps and sled tracks that exist in just a handful of cities across the globe.
“You realize right away that this is a place for world-class facilities, a place where world-class athletes come to engage,” said Travis Dorch an associate professor at Utah State University.
He studied Park City’s Olympic legacy which is partially reflected in sheer numbers.
More than 1,100 athletes from 30 countries train in Utah each year. The Utah Office of Tourism said more than 30% of the U.S. athletes that competed in the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games had ties to Utah.
Matt Terwillegar, program manager at Utah Olympic Park said, “We produce Olympians, but more importantly, we’re here for the regular kid who just wants to learn how to ski and have fun, probably most importantly.”
Access to venues like the ones found in Utah offers world-class opportunities. The study found that it is especially true for young athletes as they try to move to that elite level, even having a ski jump in their backyard isn’t enough.
No one knows that better than Root Roepke. “I can actually see the ski jumps from my house,” he said.
As he trained to make the Junior Olympic team, he’s found it increasingly difficult to jump through the hoops of training and travel and paying for it all.
The venues are in high demand.
“Unlike normal skiing where you can just go to the resorts and ski whenever you feel like it, it’s quite a lot of work to get the hills going and we have coaches and ski patrol, and a lift,” said Roepke, a Nordic combined athlete.
Dorsch said, “That lack of accessibility, I think, sometimes leads to a lack of direct access or a sort of separation of the haves and have nots.”
For those same reasons, the study noted a concern about the lack of diversity.
“Diversity is an issue because it’s a winter sport,” said Terwillegar.
Venue and sport leaders try to address this by recruiting young athletes from different cultures and offering several scholarships to their families.
Study authors believe being purposeful in providing these opportunities will help future Olympic bids.
“The Olympics is really, you know, the two weeks is great,” said Terwillegar. “But it’s about the kids. It’s about what’s left afterward for them and we’re a very good example of what can be left afterward for the kids.”
