Striking contrast. On the eve of a meeting of the IOC Executive Board (June 12 to 14) which will be decisive for the candidacies of the French Alps and Salt Lake City for the Winter Games, a world of gap seems to have widened between the two projects.
On the French side, an essential document is still missing: the State guarantee. It is expected during the day, the final deadline to attach it to the file to be submitted to the IOC. But the results of the European elections, then the announcement by Emmanuel Macron of the dissolution of the National Assembly, add a layer of uncertainty.
Will Gabriel Attal, the Prime Minister, sign the State's letter of commitment before the end of the day, this Tuesday, June 11? Not a foregone conclusion, but still possible.
Otherwise, a piece presented as essential will be missing. But it is hard to imagine the IOC reviewing its plans and ruling out the candidacy of the French Alps for the Winter Games in 2030. Thomas Bach and the executive commission will grant the French a deadline, justified by a political context that is difficult to anticipate.
On the American side, the train is already moving at full speed. The Salt Lake City 2034 team did not wait for the executive board meeting, starting Wednesday, to reveal its cards. It played the game of transparency to the fullest by presenting its bid book on Monday June 10, then by summoning the media for an online press briefing.
The document is 78 pages long. It details the estimated budget for the Winter Games in Utah, as proposed to the IOC Future Host Commission. The Winter Games in 2034 will cost $2,83 billion in operational costs, provided that the future organizing committee manages to keep its accounts solid.
Almost superfluous clarification for an American Olympic project: the Games will be financed exclusively by private funds. With the exception of security, usually provided by federal resources and means.
« A cornerstone of our financial plan is that the entire operating budget for the Games will come from commercial and private sources, without reliance on local or state taxpayer dollars", explained Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of the bid (SLC-UT 2034).
Surprising: Salt Lake City 2034 announces a budget almost equal, within a few hundred thousand dollars, to that of the 2002 Winter Games in Utah ($2,84 billion). Thirty-two years later, the size of the event will have increased significantly, particularly in terms of sports and participation. But the American team explains that it can stay on top of the 2002 edition thanks to the use of already existing sites.
Another performance: the Salt Lake City team has already announced that the Games will finance sports projects in Utah and contribute to the revenue of the American Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). In its application file, it provides an operating budget of 2,83 billion dollars, for revenues estimated at 3,99 billion. The gap is not small, even if the projection remains quite hypothetical today.
In the revenue column, Salt Lake City 2034 placed in particular the IOC contribution ($520 million), the domestic partnership ($1,8 billion), ticketing and hospitality ($1,19 billion), licensed products and merchandising (200 million).
With such a projection, Utah Governor Spencer Fox can already claim victory. “ The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will bring benefits to our state, he says. From a societal point of view, they will help to energize our communities through sport. The Games will also have a notable economic impact through increased tax revenues and job creation. »
Very trendy: Salt Lake City already evokes heritage. It is even encrypted. In its budget, the bid team provides an envelope of 260 million dollars for “supporting Utah community sports programs ».
Ten years from the deadline, the American team has already filled all the boxes. Starting with the dates of the event. The 2034 Winter Olympics will take place (no need to use conditionals) from February 10 to 26. The Paralympic Games will begin on March 10 and end on March 19.
