2034 Winter Paralympics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Provisional logo | |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening | March 10, 2034 |
| Closing | March 19, 2034 |
| Stadium | Rice–Eccles Stadium |
Winter Summer
2034 Winter Olympics | |
The 2034 Winter Paralympics, officially the XVI Paralympic Winter Games, and branded as Utah 2034,[1][a] is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place in the U.S. state of Utah, United States, from March 10–19, 2034.
The Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially nominated Salt Lake City[2] as its preferred candidate on November 29, 2023. The bid was approved on July 24, 2024, during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, and the games were eventually branded to Utah 2034 in November 2025 to better reflect the surrounding areas also hosting venues.[1] This will be the second time the Winter Paralympic Games have been held in the state and also in the country, since the 2002 Games were also held in Utah. Salt Lake City, along with Innsbruck, became the second city in history to host the Winter Paralympic Games twice. This will also be the first Paralympics held in the United States that will be branded under a host U.S. state instead of a city.
Host selection
Under the new bidding process established under Olympic Agenda 2020, the Future Host Commission of the IOC engages in ongoing, non-committal "continuous dialogue" with parties that are interested in hosting a future Olympic Games. The Commission then recommends preferred candidates to be invited to "targeted dialogue" with the IOC Executive Board. In addition, a "host" can now consist of multiple regions or countries rather than just cities.[3][4][5]
On November 29, 2023, per the recommendation of the Future Host Commission, the IOC Executive Board invited the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to targeted dialogue, with Salt Lake City named the sole preferred candidate for the 2034 Winter Olympics.[2][6]
During the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on July 24, 2024, Salt Lake City was elected as host of the 2034 Winter Olympics and 2034 Winter Paralympics, via a referendum to the 95 IOC delegates.[7]
| Region | NOC name | Yes | No | Abs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah |  United States |
83 | 6 | 6 |
Development and Preparations
Venues[8][9]
All planned venues were used for the same events during the 2002 Paralympics, with a few exceptions:
- The closing ceremonies are planned to be held at the Rice–Eccles Stadium, rather than at the Olympic Medals Plaza.
- Para snowboard was not held in 2002, and was added to the Paralympic winter program in 2014. Utah Olympic Park is planned to host para snowboard events in 2034.
- Wheelchair curling was also not held in 2002; it was first introduced in 2006. The Salt Palace convention center in downtown Salt Lake City will host wheelchair curling in 2034.
| Venue | Location | Event(s) | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maverik Center | West Valley City | Para ice hockey | 10,100 | Existing |
| Rice–Eccles Stadium | Salt Lake City | Opening and closing ceremonies | 51,444 | Existing |
| Salt Palace | Salt Lake City | Wheelchair curling | 6,500 | Existing |
| Snowbasin | Weber County | Para alpine skiing | 19,000 | Existing |
| Soldier Hollow | Wasatch County | Para biathlon | 15,000 | Existing, renovated |
| Para cross-country skiing | ||||
| Utah Olympic Park | Summit County | Para snowboard | 8,000 | Existing |
Marketing
The Games were originally billed as Salt Lake City—Utah 2034 upon the approval of the bid, as the changes implemented by Olympic Agenda 2020 allow regions to be credited as Olympic hosts as opposed to only cities. On November 24, 2025, a new provisional emblem was unveiled, shortening the branding of the Games to simply Utah 2034; organizing committee CEO Brad Wilson explained that the new branding was meant to be more inclusive of the surrounding regions hosting the Games alongside Salt Lake City, stating that he "want[ed] everyone in Utah to feel like they're a part of Team 2034, whether they live in our amazing capital city or whether they live in Vernal or Layton." Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall felt that it "hurt" for the city to not be part of the branding, but that Salt Lake City "always will be" an official Olympic city, and that she wanted the Games to "uplift the state".[1]
