As many cities sour on hosting the Olympics, Salt Lake City's enthusiasm endures

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The International Olympic Committee was effusive in its support Wednesday for a decades-long effort to bring back the Winter Games to Utah's capital city in 2034.

Unlike so many other past hosts that have decided bringing back the Games isn’t worth the time, money or hassle, Salt Lake City remains one of the few places where Olympic fever still burns strong. Olympic officials praised the city for preserving facilities and public enthusiasm as they kicked off their final visit ahead of a formal announcement expected this July.

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Reminders of the 2002 Winter Games are nestled throughout the city, from a towering cauldron overlooking the valley to an Olympic emblem stamped on manhole covers downtown. Leaving the airport, a can't-miss arch amid snow-capped mountains shows visitors they're entering an Olympic city.

The scoreboard at the University of Utahs Rice-Eccles Stadium promotes Salt Lake City's bid to host another Winter Olympics in 2034 as International Olympic Committee members prepare to tour the stadium and other venues on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Salt Lake City.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Those remnants are part of a long-term strategy Utah leaders launched on the heels of their first Olympics to remind residents that the Games are part of the fabric of their city, and that being a host city is a point of pride.

Olympic officials said they were greeted with such excitement Wednesday that it felt like the 2002 Winter Games never ended.

In the decades since Salt Lake City first opened its nearby slopes to the world’s top winter