MILAN — Utah’s Olympic and Paralympic Committee delivered an update to the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday, marking its first in‑person presentation since Salt Lake City was awarded the 2034 Winter Games bid in the summer of 2024.

Committee leaders outlined the work completed over the past year and emphasized Utah’s readiness.

  Complete KSL coverage of the Milan-Cortino 2026 Olympics

It’s a message the IOC has consistently praised.

“Hosting the Games is an honor and a privilege,” said Fraser Bullock, chair of the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee, during the presentation in the Main Press Center in Milan.

Bullock was among several Utah representatives who addressed IOC officials.

The session was intended to give an overview of the organizing committee’s progress, including operational planning and ongoing preparations.

While other future host cities focused heavily on building new venues, Utah’s delegation highlighted a key advantage: its venues are already built and competition‑ready.

But it was the state’s athlete‑focused efforts, particularly the athlete’s family initiative, that drew the most attention.

The program is designed to support families of athletes, many of whom face steep travel costs and limited time to plan because qualification often happens late in the Olympic cycle.

Utah 2034 officials said they want to ensure families have a welcoming, affordable place to stay during the Games.

“We’re going to change that and make it so welcoming for families. And what better place than Utah than to send a message and welcome families,” said Bullock.

Brad Wilson, CEO of Utah 2034, said supporting the families who support athletes is central to the state’s approach.

“Athletes’ families are the backbone of an athlete’s success in so many different ways,” said Wilson. “So, for us as a community in Utah, for us to put our arms around athletes’ families and support them in a new way, it’s something that everyone is looking forward to.”

Despite the committee’s extensive preparation work, IOC officials encouraged Utah to “slow down” and not over‑prepare.

But Utah organizers say planning ahead is simply part of the state’s DNA, joking there are only eight years remaining until the Games return to Utah.

Utah State Aggies (18-3, 9-2 MWC) at New Mexico Lobos (18-4, 9-2 MWC)

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Wednesday, 11 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico faces Utah State after Jake Hall scored 27 points in New Mexico’s 90-80 victory over the San Jose State Spartans.

The Lobos are 12-0 in home games. New Mexico is 2-0 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Aggies have gone 9-2 against MWC opponents. Utah State averages 83.6 points and has outscored opponents by 15.7 points per game.

New Mexico averages 81.5 points, 13.6 more per game than the 67.9 Utah State gives up. Utah State averages 15.6 more points per game (83.6) than New Mexico gives up (68.0).

The Lobos and Aggies square off Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Hall is scoring 15.5 points per game and averaging 3.2 rebounds for the Lobos. Tomislav Buljan is averaging 13.9 points and 11.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Michael Collins Jr. is shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aggies, while averaging 18.6 points. Mason Falslev is shooting 51.4% and averaging 16.2 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lobos: 8-2, averaging 81.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 8.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.4 points per game.

Aggies: 8-2, averaging 81.1 points, 31.6 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.2 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

A Utah man driving the wrong way on Interstate 80 died over the weekend after colliding head-on with a semitrailer near Evanston.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol confirmed Monday that Duane Derrick, 40, of Logan, Utah, was driving a Chevy pickup the wrong way in the interstate at about 2 p.m. Saturday.

According to witnesses and evidence collected at the scene, Derrick was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes before the collision. 

He died at the scene, the WHP reports. The driver of the semitrailer was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol was not available for additional comment at the time of publication.

‘How Did He Not See Him?’

Paige Sequeira of Ogden, Utah, shot a video of the aftermath of Saturday’s accident as she was traveling along I-80. 

Her reaction and what she captured on her phone paints a harrowing picture.

The Chevy pickup was beyond totaled. The entire vehicle was smashed into a tangled mess of metal, with wheels nearly twisted off their axles.

The semitrailer was hundreds of feet away, having driven off the highway and down an embankment toward a housing development. 

Its forward engine and drive axle were nearly severed from the rest of the cab, a testament to the force of the impact.

The shoulder was covered with large debris from both vehicles.

Sequeria openly questioned, “How did he not see him?”

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, both vehicles “reacted and swerved to the north shoulder, colliding head-on.” 

Derrick was wearing his seat belt when the collision happened, WHP reports.

Rough Start

Derrick’s death was the seventh fatality on Wyoming’s roadways so far in 2026. There were six fatalities at this point in 2025, and two in 2024.

Wyoming is already one of the deadliest states for trucking. 

Statistics compiled by the Truck Safety Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, show Wyoming had seven fatalities per 100,000 population in the last year, topping the list as the deadliest state.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s crash data, 90% of commercial motor vehicle crashes on I-80 involve non-Wyoming resident drivers, and 78% of those crashes happened during inclement weather.

Saturday’s crash was another on what truckers call “The Gauntlet,” the stretch of I-80 through Wyoming that runs between Evanston and Pine Bluffs. However, analyses like these are often skewed by Wyoming’s small population.

“In a rural state like Wyoming, with one of the smallest populations but some of the highest truck miles traveled per capita in the nation, even a small number of crashes can dramatically skew the results,” Kevin Hawley, president of the Wyoming Trucking Association, previously told Cowboy State Daily. “This makes Wyoming appear ‘deadlier’ than larger states with far higher crash totals.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.