Less than three months after the International Olympic Committee voted to award the 2034 Winter Olympic Games to Salt Lake City, Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, visited Temple Square and met with two senior leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bach met with President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, also a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, and others in the Church Administration Building on Sept. 27, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“No one will be more supportive of these Olympics than we will,” President Holland said. “We are thrilled to contribute in any way we can. We want you to feel that there is no more hospitable place in the United States — or on this planet — than you have here.”
Others present at the meeting were Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, an emeritus General Authority Seventy; Christophe De Kepper, IOC director general; and Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director. A delegation for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City included Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games; Catherine Raney Norman, committee chair; Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall; Don Stirling, of the Miller Group; and Kenneth Rooks, 2024 Paris Games silver medalist.
As with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Church leaders spoke about the value of Utah’s spirit of volunteerism and how it will be for the 2034 Games. They also noted the blessing of former Latter-day Saint missionaries who speak many languages where they have served.
“Thank you for highlighting the volunteers,” Bach said in the news release. “This is one of the values we share with your Church. It’s about unity. It’s about volunteerism. It’s about one global world. It’s about peace. Therefore, for me it’s no surprise we get along with each other.”
The pledge to support the Olympics echoes a statement released by the First Presidency following the announcement on July 24:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints extends its heartfelt congratulations to Salt Lake City on securing the bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics. We celebrate this news, recalling the feelings of unity, peace and friendship that characterized the event when it was last hosted in Utah in 2002.
“We stand ready to support the 2034 Olympic Games in welcoming athletes, volunteers and visitors from around the world. The Church is committed to efforts that make Salt Lake a host city that embodies values of service, cooperation and mutual respect. As the home of the international headquarters of the Church, we will work with organizers at both local and international levels to welcome the world as 2034 draws near.”
Following the meeting on Sept. 27, 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.
