Salt Lake City Requires $2.2B Budget for Winter Olympics

The Utah Olympic committee has projected that hosting a future Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City would require a budget of up to $2.2 billion. 

Salt Lake City has yet to decide on whether it will submit a bid for 2030 or 2034, but the host of the 2002 Winter Olympics is in a position to be successful. A decision is expected following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

“Salt Lake is ready,” said USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland. “We don’t have to build anything. We don’t need to garner public support. We don’t have a lot of barriers.” 

Breaking Down the Costs

Salt Lake City beat out Denver, Colorado, and Reno, Nevada, as host for the next Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

• The budget is calculated using inflation to represent 2030 costs.
• Operational costs are estimated to reach $1.75 billion. 
• A $200 million contingency is included.
• The remaining $250 million would be allocated toward legacy projects and winter sports.
• No infrastructure costs are included in the projected budget. 

Holding the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2030 faces an uphill battle due to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Two consecutive Olympics in the U.S. could pose logistical challenges and would require the two cities to jointly raise private funds to avoid heavy use of public money.