Utah
Olympics President Thomas Bach visits with young athletes at venues across the state
For International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, there’s little doubt he meant it when he said the best part about coming back to Utah was seeing the young athletes training at the state’s 2002 Winter Games facilities, many with hopes of competing here where the Olympics and Paralympics return in 2034.
During his two-day visit that ended Saturday, the leader of the Switzerland-based IOC made sure he had plenty of opportunities.
At the Utah Olympic Park near Park City on a hot Saturday afternoon, Bach marched up a steep, pebble-covered hillside to the massive 80-foot-by-180-foot inflatable airbag used by snowboarders to practice their big air moves in the summer, ignoring plans to briefly view it from a balcony.
Those fancy twists and turns ski jumpers practice at the nearby aerated pool? Bach didn’t want to watch poolside. Trailed by an entourage of staffers and journalists, he climbed up on the outer slippery, squishy jumps so he could be as close as possible to the action.
Same with skeleton, the headfirst sliding sport that shares a track with bobsled and luge. After hearing starts were being practiced on a concrete side track, he insisted on heading across the park to be there as the helmeted sliders jumped on their wheeled sleds.
At the Utah Olympic Oval earlier in the afternoon, Bach chatted with a group of young figure skaters in sparkling outfits, then joined them on the ice for a photo in his sneakers. He also spent time talking with some young speedskaters who’d been doing sprints around the oval’s running track, passing out heart-shaped enameled lapel pins with the five Olympic rings.
“You see a very happy man in front of you,” Bach told reporters, later explaining his favorite part of any travel is meeting with young athletes. His final term as IOC president will end next year and this could be his last trip to the United States in that role. His visit started with an address to the United Nations in New York City and will end in Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Summer Games.
Utah’s Olympic organizers encouraged to ‘think big’
Bach’s first trip to Utah since 2002 was also about the next steps for Utah’s successful Olympic bidders. The IOC voted to give Utah the 2034 Winter Games on July 24 in Paris, but bidders have been trying to bring another Olympics and Paralympics to the state for more than a decade.
The bar is already being set high for Utah’s second Winter Games, with comparisons to Paris’ successful 2024 Summer Games.
“You have it all,” Bach declared at a celebratory breakfast in the Grand America Hotel garden Saturday, citing the state’s strong public and private support for the Olympics. “You can be for the Winter Games what Paris was for the Summer Games. Paris, with the Summer Games, was the first Olympic Games organized according to our Olympic agenda reforms.”
Those reforms, put in place under Bach, focus on encouraging sustainability and gender parity along with a more youth-oriented and urban Games. “All these ingredients, you have also here in Salt Lake and in Utah. So make use of them,” he said, urging the audience of more than 150 community, business and elected leaders to “think big.”
What’s next for Olympic organizers
The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games that’s behind the bid has until Christmas Eve to make the transition to an organizing committee. There have been behind-the-scenes conversations during Bach’s visit about what that might look like, including with state lawmakers.
“That should now happen soon,” Bach told reporters, calling it “the first and very important step’ to form the committee that will be responsible for putting on what will add up to a $4 billion price tag, set to be paid for privately, largely through the sale of sponsorships, broadcast rights and tickets.
But with the next Summer Games also being held in the United States, Utah organizers won’t be able to sell domestic sponsorships for 2034 until after 2029. Bach said he’s been reassured that the state’s donor base is strong enough to ensure there’s enough money to cover organizing costs for the next five years. Private contributions paid for the bid process.
“Very much so. I’ve received very encouraging news here from the private sector. There is already a great engagement to do this kind of bridge financing,” Bach said. “I have no doubt after all the meetings we’ve had. Also, the public sector is very much behind the Games. So don’t worry.”
He was also asked about the last-minute addition to Utah’s host contract that allows the IOC to take back the 2034 Games if “the supreme authority of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined” by the United States.
The new language, sparked by a U.S. government investigation into allegations involving how failed doping tests by Chinese swimmers were handled, was added as “a matter of honesty. We had to advise Salt Lake that there is this risk because of a decision that may be taken by WADA. It isn’t our decision,” Bach said in some of his first public comments about the matter.
Utah “had nothing to do with this,” the IOC president said. “It’s not up to them to comply.” He said the action by the IOC is also “a matter of even greater confidence because we would not have allocated the Games to Salt Lake 10 years ahead if we would not have had full confidence that this matter will be resolved between WADA and USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency).”
It’s the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee that’s stepped up to help mend the rift between the international and U.S. anti-doping agencies at the heart of the controversy. USOPC Chair Gene Sykes, who is also an IOC member, told the Deseret News the head of USADA attended a dinner hosted for Bach in Colorado Springs this week.
“I have as much confidence as I’ve ever had that this is not going to have a bearing on Utah,” Sykes said.
“We’re in great hands,” Fraser Bullock, the bid committee’s president and CEO, said. “It’s not our issue.”
Bullock, who served as the chief operating officer of the 2002 Games, said the biggest challenge Utah’s Olympic organizers now face is maximizing the opportunity of hosting again.
“We have the venues. We have great people. We are very confident in our ability to host the Games,” he said. “But how can we level up and do something even more impactful for our communities, create unity in our communities, create unity in our state, inspire our entire country and eventually the whole world?”
Bach meets with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
On Friday, Bach met with several leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Church Administration Building, including President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as emeritus General Authority Elder Donald L. Hallstrom.
“No one will be more supportive of these Olympics than we will,” President Holland said. “We’re thrilled to contribute in any way we can. We want you to feel that there’s no more hospitable place in the United States — or on this planet — than you have here.”
Church leaders presented Bach with a four-generation chart of his ancestors and a leather-bound copy of the Book of Mormon. Bach gave President Holland a set of Olympic rings. Joining Bach at Temple Square were IOC Director General Christophe de Kepper and Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi.
Also at the meeting were Bullock and the bid committee chair, Catherine Raney Norman; Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall; Don Stirling of the Miller Group; and 2024 Summer Games silver medalist Kenneth Rooks.
Utah’s power play went 2-for-4, and it was the first time the Mammoth have scored two power play goals in a game since the last time they played the Capitals (Mar. 3, at Washington). Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley each capitalized on the man-advantage in the first period. Cooley was added to the top unit with Barrett Hayton out of the lineup (week-to-week, upper-body injury), and he shared what was working for the top unit.
“Just trying to establish a shot,” Cooley explained. “Trying to build off that and then things start to open up. We have a lot of great players on that unit that can make a lot of plays, and I think when we establish a shot first (mentality) that’s when we’re going to get our opportunities, and find seams and different rebounds like that.”
“They were rolling,” Tourigny said of the power play. “The way they were attacking, the way they were direct, they were really aggressive. They were intentional, their aggressiveness, that paid off.”
In addition to his power play goal, Guenther also scored three minutes and 55 seconds later. The forward has six multi-goal efforts this season and he set a new career-high in points (61). This is his second consecutive season with 60 or more points. Guenther has been a consistent scorer for the Mammoth as he has nine goals in the month of March and has scored eight of those in the last 11 games. He trails on Boston’s Pavel Zacha (9) for the league lead in that span.
MacKenzie Weegar scored his first goal as a member of the Mammoth in the third period. He’s contributed a point in two-straight games and has grown his role with Utah. In addition to playing alongside alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev on the top d-pairing, Weegar contributes to both sides of special teams.
It’s a close playoff race in the Western Conference and Utah is still in the first wildcard spot. However, the Mammoth will need to raise their game, keep a high level of intensity, and manage their emotions in the final nine games of the regular season. Utah’s next game is a tough test against the Los Angeles Kings on the road.
“Everyone’s gotta look in the mirror, we all got better and we all know that,” Keller said. “Still super confident with our group. This is the most exciting part of the year and the most exciting hockey. We’re all positive, and we’ll learn from it and go to L.A..”
“Yeah, I think we started out good,” Cooley reflected. “Special teams were good. I thought the first period, we were moving it well. I think we kind of just started to let it slip, give up some odd-man rushes, and they capitalized. Every game is so important right now, and it stings. It’s two points that we probably should have had, especially early on with the way we were playing. We got to make sure that we are ready for a heck of a battle with L.A.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Sergachev registered three assists in the first period marking the first three-assist frame of his NHL career. This also marked his second career three-point period, both of which have come against Washington, as well as his fourth three-point game this season.
- Alexander Kerfoot posted an assist on Weegar’s third-period goal, marking his 300th career NHL point. He is the 16th player from his draft class to reach that milestone. He joins Sergachev as the second skater to accomplish the feat with Utah.
- Keller posted three primary assists tonight for his eighth three-point game, third three-assist game, 23rd multi-point game, and 13th multi-assist game in 2025-26, all of which are team highs. The Captain has seven points over his last six games (3G, 4A).
- Utah’s captain has tallied at least 70 points for the fourth consecutive season and he became the 12th NHL player to accomplish this feat over that stretch. According to NHL PR, Keller is the fifth player in NHL history to eclipse the 70-point mark in each of a franchise’s first two seasons.
Upcoming Schedule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2026
Media Contacts:
Louisa Tavlas
ltavlas@niskanencenter.org
Arnold Ventures
media@arnoldventures.org
Olin: Legislators, Cox, “providing law enforcement with additional resources to improve investigative outcomes” and keep Utah safe.
Washington, DC (March 26, 2026) — The Niskanen Center and Arnold Ventures applaud the Utah State Legislature and Governor Spencer Cox for passing new, bipartisan legislation designed to solve more crimes and provide support for crime victims. The bill, H.B. 137, passed both the Utah House of Representatives and the Utah Senate by wide, bipartisan margins and was signed into law by the Governor today.
“Making Utah as safe as possible requires ensuring law enforcement has every available resource to identify and arrest every criminal who preys upon innocent citizens,” said Jason Olin, senior government affairs manager for criminal justice at the Niskanen Center. “HB 137 establishes a Violent Crime Clearance Rate Fund that will provide law enforcement with additional resources to improve investigative outcomes. We thank Rep. Clancy and Sen. McKell for their leadership on this critical issue and Gov. Cox for signing this important piece of legislation.”
“Solving more violent crimes quickly can bring peace to victims and reduce the number of future victims,” said Kevin Ring, vice president of criminal justice advocacy at Arnold Ventures. “Would-be offenders need to know that they will be held accountable, and this law will make it more likely they will. We thank legislative leaders, including Rep. Clancy and Sen. McKell, and Gov. Cox for making sure Utah taxpayers and communities get the biggest public safety bang for their buck.”
H.B. 137, sponsored by Rep. Tyler Clancy (R-60) and Sen. Mike McKell (R-25), creates the Violent Crime Clearance Rate Fund to assist Utah law enforcement agencies in solving violent crimes. The fund will support hiring additional law enforcement officers and providing them with the tools they need to solve crimes. H.B. 137 includes provisions to ensure that resources from the fund reach departments of all sizes across both urban and rural jurisdictions. It will also help researchers conduct rigorous evaluations of the policies and practices that are most effective in solving crimes.
Utah is one of the safest states in the nation. But since 2019, the state’s violent crime clearance rate has hovered around 53%. That means nearly half of all violent crimes reported in Utah result in no arrest and no accountability. Even Utah’s 2024 homicide clearance rate of 74% — well above the national average — leaves more than 1 in 4 murders unsolved. Behind each of those unsolved cases is a victim whose family has been denied justice.
Olin, Ring, and other criminal justice experts are available for interview or comment.
More information on the Niskanen Center’s criminal justice policy work can be found here.
More information on AV’s criminal justice policy work can be found here.
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The Niskanen Center advances an evidence-based agenda to reduce the social costs of crime and punishment. Our priority is to deter crime and reduce violence by building effective systems that deliver proportional punishment swiftly and predictably, and by ensuring law enforcement has the capacity to keep our neighborhoods safe.
Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change and bipartisan policy reforms, AV works to improve the lives of American families, strengthen communities, and promote economic opportunity.
The Utah Jazz are clearly doing everything they can to keep their pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Something tells me that next season, we won’t see as many players on the injury report as this season. That means that the core of this Jazz team will play, and it’s clear they’re going to play well. The question is, of the current Jazz roster, who is going to be the most important player next season? Now, Utah may win the lottery and that could change this entire question. If Utah drafts someone like Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, that changes everything. That said, let’s just ignore the lottery and draft for the sake of this question. If we’re looking at the odds, it’s statistically a little more likely Utah doesn’t draft in the top four of the draft anyway.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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