As the state of Utah looks ahead to hosting the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, a number of events will be continuously scheduled to help build up community engagement.
One such event has been the Watch Party, co-sponsored by The City Journals, held during both the 2026 Milan/Cortina games and the subsequent Paralympics that concluded March 15. During competition days, live broadcasts from the Games were shown on a large outdoor screen at Library Square in Salt Lake City, along with staged entertainment, food trucks, and a gift shop with swag and souvenirs.
On March 7, local residents who participated in the Milan/Cortina games made a personal appearance along with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Fraser Bullock, Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Committee chairman. Olympic gold medalist Hilary Knight and four-time Olympian and two-time medalist Brittany Bowe joined on stage with fellow Olympians Kristen Santos-Griswold, Julie Letai, Giorgia Birkeland and Chris Lillis (gold medalist in aerials in Cortina), along with 10-time para medalist Nancy Gustafson.
“We love the support we always feel from the fans here in Utah,” Knight said. She and Bowe own a home here, and even though they have retired from Olympic competition, they may stay in the community. “It was an honor to represent both the state and the United States, and we feel your love.”
“Utah has been my home for more than 16 years,” said Bowe, who has trained at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns. “In fact, it was after watching the Games here in 2002 that I first began gaining an interest in speedskating.” She was an inline skater for many years in Florida before switching over to long track speedskating and competed in her first Olympics in 2014. She still holds the world record in the 1000 meters, a record she set at the Utah Olympic Oval.
Gustafson, who now lives in Park City, won seven Paralympic gold medals and three silver medals, nine World Championship gold medals and four silver medals, and over 25 U.S. and Canadian National Championship medals. She also praised the state for its “outstanding facilities and the great fan base. This is the perfect place to host the Winter Olympics.”
The athletes met with the public afterwards, signing autographs and posing for some selfies.