Olympic benefit incalculable

Five years ago, Utahns were holding their collective breath as the 2002 Winter Games got under way. It was the first large-scale international sports competition following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America. Except for a few early bobbles with transportation and a judging scandal in figure skating, the Games were highly successful.

They turned a profit, which was unthinkable considering the bid scandal and stepped-up concerns about security. Thanks to an army of volunteers and the leadership of Mitt Romney and Fraser Bullock, the Games were deemed "superb" by IOC President Jacques Rogge. Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports (which held the broadcast rights to the Salt Lake Games), offered this assessment: "Far and away, the most successful Olympics, summer or winter, in history."

As we contemplate the legacy of the Games five years later, it is somewhat difficult to quantify what the host city designation means in 2007. It is likewise difficult to fully gauge the lasting economic impact, although the Salt Lake Chamber says Utah's economy is "larger and stronger because of the Games."

The most visible reminders of the Olympics are winter sports facilities and public infrastructure improvements. The world-class facilities and exposure have secured Utah's place as a winter sports capital. Utah has hosted or secured 17 World Cups, U.S. Championships or Olympic trials since 2002. These facilities attract Olympic athletes in training as well as wannabes who want the experience of skating on the world's fastest ice or careening down an Olympic bobsled track. A luxury hotel could be built at the Utah Winter Sports Park outside Park City, pending legislative approval.

The Athletes Village has been converted to student housing at the University of Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games, was renovated, substantially increasing its capacity. The most utilized public projects have been the reconstructed Interstate 15, mass transit and improvements to the Salt Lake International Airport. No question, hosting the Games aided in securing state and federal capital for these projects. Had Utah not hosted the Games, these improvements would have come eventually, over a long time.

Perhaps most difficult to discern is whether hosting the Games changed the state's image and continues to be a draw. It clearly has been good for the ski industry, which has set records in terms of numbers of skiers and lodging sales since the Games.

Certainly, Utah has become more of a winter sports business location. Rossignol, Scott, Goode Ski Technologies and Descente North America Inc. now call Utah home.

For the average Utahn, though, economists say it is unlikely that hosting the Games alters their incomes, standards of living or economic well-being five years later.

This should not detract from the overwhelming civic pride that accompanied hosting such a successful, world-class event so soon after a national tragedy. There is an incalculable benefit to putting one's best foot forward to a worldwide television audience of some 2.1 billion viewers.

Salt Lake will forever be an Olympic host city and a part of the Olympic family, which is a very proud distinction, indeed.