Governor Michael O. Leavitt

Keynote speech to the Utah Olympic Forum

We meet today as city, county and state leaders, legislators, Olympic organizers, representatives of the arts, sports, business, religion and tribal officials. This is the first time in Olympic history that a forum has been staged to involve every citizen and every community. And it will not be the last.

A few of you may not have wanted the Olympics here. Others supported the Games and worked hard to get them from day one. It no longer matters who did and who didn't. We made a decision as a state. We bid for them and we won. They are coming in 1,248 days. We will make a resounding success of it.

Think back to that day in Budapest when Salt Lake City did what no other Olympic host city has done before -- won the Games resoundingly in an unprecedented first ballot vote.

Do you remember where you were when International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch spoke those words: "The 2002 Winter Olympics go to the city of Salt Lake City."

I was in Budapest with my fellow Utahns, sitting at the end of the front row, nervously making small talk with a delegate from another continent while we waited for the announcement. We could see on a television monitor the crowd gathered at the City-County Building in Salt Lake, collectively holding its breath.

And then, when the word came, the reaction was instantaneous -- pandemonium and jubilation. We all jumped up and pumped the air in Budapest. And on the television screen we could see the same thing occurring with the crowd back home, thousands of miles away in Salt Lake City.

There were people hovering over their television sets that day. Cars pulled over to the side of the road as people waited to hear. And afterward, the hugs, the high-fives and the spontaneous celebrations that spilled into the streets. We will never forget the glory, the sense of unity we experienced that day.

Now we are occupied with the actual work of preparing for the Games. It is a massive undertaking, requiring perseverence, a can-do attitude and, most of all, unity. This will stretch us.

But there are also many more glorious moments ahead -- more of those times when the magic and momentousness of the Olympics will engulf us in feelings of triumph, well-being and awe. We will feel that way many more times before this is over, and we will look back on it with pride and say, "I was there."

Imagine the day the torch arrives in Salt Lake City after traveling across continents and oceans from its eternal home in Greece.

Imagine the flags of Utah, the Olympics and the United States flying over the capital city, the sound of the Star Spangled Banner rising from the medals plaza. The dignified bow of the athlete stooping to receive a gold medal. The tears of relief and the tears of joy.

Envision what it will be like when we see the first image of the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains on network television and realize that same picture is being seen across the globe.

Think of the benefits that will accrue to us for years to follow. The prosperity that will be created in the months, years and decades to come because of the impression that was burnished during 17 unforgettable days in 2002.

Think of the memories, the emotions and how much we will speak so fondly of when we tell our children, our grand-children, our great-grandchildren, "It was like nothing else. I know. I was there."

This afternoon, however, we are here. Our purpose today is to kick off the planning and coordination that will determine how our communities can give something of themselves to the Olympics, and how the Olympics can give back.

Today we take stock of the course the Salt Lake Organizing Committee has plotted so far and begin to add our cities, towns, schools and children to the mix. It is the committee's job to stage the Games. Ours is to welcome the world.

These are Utah's Olympics. Keep that in perspective as you learn more about the task at hand, and maybe ask yourself these questions throughout the course of the discussions today:

1. How do we maximize this experience for our children? How do we involve them in a once-in-a-lifetime occasion that most of them will want to be part of in some way?
   
   
2. How do we engage the talented and generous people of this state, melding their spirit and legendary willingness to lend a hand with the payback of involvement in this grandest of sports events?
   
   
3. How do we make these Games touch every resident of this state? How do we make them as vivid and real to the people of Santaquin as they are to the people of Sandy? The Olympic venues are confined to the Wasatch Front. Nothing else has to be.

We are focusing heavily on communities today. But we must always keep in mind the big picture.

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee's overriding priority is to put on a professional, successful Games. Nonetheless, the committee has committed to a comprehensive array of education, youth, arts and cultural Olympic programs that you will hear about in more detail.

Some have already been launched. Others will start in ensuing weeks, and more will be added as the clock ticks down to 2002. But you, as communities, have to be pro-active about this. Tell the committee what you'd like to do. Step up to the plate with ideas, commitments, plans and resources.

The big picture is this: If we do a wonderful job of throwing community festivals but neglect the production of the Games themselves, we have failed. Likewise, if we look good on TV and impress the world, but our people feel no part of this, we have achieved a hollow victory. So we must do both.

What will our Olympic experience be?

I remember Lillehammer in 1994. I walked for an hour and a half, in snow up to my knees, from a bus to a concrete bench with ice on it and sat for two-and-a-half hours in 20-below temperatures to watch the opening ceremony. I've never been so cold. But the Lillehammer games were warm. They were viewed by the world as a big success. Their venues were not gold-plated, but Lillehammer was efficient, it was telegenic and the people of Norway were front and center.

Last winter in Nagano, I met a Japanese man directing traffic to the designated parking areas. He had an official-looking jacket with the Games insignia and the responsibility to make traffic flow. He was all business, but there was also a bounce to his step. I mentioned it was a shame that he did not get to see one minute of that event. Not really, he said. The world is here. And I'm here. This is my front-row seat.

Three-and-a-half billion people will watch our Games on television. That is half the population of the planet. If you can imagine it – half of the globe tuning in to see our mountains, our cities, the beauty of this state and the faces of our children.

Those are monumental experiences that will kick off the 21st century for us. That is what we're here to talk about today. About what will happen when we as a community join together and put our imprint on these Games collectively.

We must figure out how to make these Utah Games reflect Utah. And there are some great ideas out there already.

An Olympic rodeo in Davis County, for one. Commissioner Dan McConkie and others are wrestling with that idea, and it has much potential. We are, after all, the West.

I've heard that the city of Ogden wants to adopt the sport of curling and build events around it -- or do something to honor the German team because of the sister-city relationship Ogden has with the German town of Hof. Good ideas. Curlers aren't exactly the super-novas of an Olympics – a bit older and paunchier than say snow boarders. But in 2002 in Ogden, curling will be king.

What about the chance for a class of elementary students to invite a Japanese athlete to visit their school and learn more about Japan. The chance for a family from St. George to welcome a family from St. Petersburg. The different languages we will hear in our stores and restaurants; the opportunity we will have to leave a lasting impression of this state with a smile or a small kindness like offering someone directions.

We are going to need a core of at least 18,000 volunteers for the duration of the Games. I have no doubt this state will rise to the occasion and deliver them. Scores of people are already asking where they can sign up. Today, we begin telling them where, when and what to expect.

For all the people of this state who are so willing and ready to help, I just want to say in advance -- thank you. We need you. These are your Games. For many of you, the experience will be what you make of it.

Everybody may fantasize about working around the athletes or the medal awards. But the reality is a little different. For every person who gets a plush assignment, there will be legions more desperately needed to stand in the intersection of 5600 South and 19th West and direct traffic in a snowstorm. But who knows. It could be a sunny day when the bus that stops right in front of you is carrying the Jamaican bobsledders.

For some, the Olympic experience will be more direct because of proximity. Park City and its service industry will be big winners because there is a gigantic venue right there. Salt Lake City obviously is ground zero. But large distances do not have to deflate grand hopes.

Those of you from outlying counties, cities and towns need to think of what it is you have to offer. It may be gorgeous surroundings, canyon lands, red-rock country. It may be small-town charm, traditions and hospitality.

I think of Helper's Christmas parade or the hot springs near Honeyville or the Butch Cassidy history of Uintah and Duchesne counties. I think of the bond the towns of Manila, Naples and Wales could forge with teams from the Philippines, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Do not hesitate to mull over the possibilities or to voice them to the Olympic Committee. SLOC has pledged to hold more community forums like this one. In fact, you can mark the date for two more -- Nov. 9 in Box Elder County and Nov. 12 for Weber County.

And do not confine yourselves to the 17-day window in which the Games actually will occur. People will be coming here for weeks leading up to the Olympics. Programs will be ongoing involving our schools, arts and culture organizations and our youth. And we will have the Paralympic Games following the Winter Games. This isn't just a 17-day event.

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee is on track. There are pressures, rules, marketing regulations and processes to follow that make this a rewarding but arduous task. I would like to thank Frank Joklik and Bob Garff for their leadership.

Today you will learn a lot more about their plans. I want to briefly highlight one: the programs the committee is instituting for children.

We have much to gain from the Olympics. The economic impacts, the prestige, the goodwill that comes when you befriend entire nations. We can measure some of that. But how do you place a value on the ideals of friendship, hope, sportsmanship and hard work that will be instilled in our children through this event?

We will be kindling an Olympic flame in the hearts of Utah children that will burn long after the Olympic torch has been extinguished. At least one person is already making this happen. His name is Bob Bills, and he is the director of youth programs for the Utah Winter Olympics.

Bob's like a big fishing net, gathering up kids to teach them speed skating, or sending them off to train with the U.S. Bobsled Team. He's launched summer camps, sports simulations in schools, and ways for at-risk youth to find success through sport. Bob will tell you he's got the best job of all because he's touching the future.

The potential for our children is of Olympic proportions. Literally. Take a talented tumbler or a diver, put them on skis, and you just might have a star. Eight such Utah athletes are already taking their diving and power tumbling talent to the ski slopes by linking up with the U.S. Ski Team for training. They just might be future Olympians. All because the Olympics youth programs are expanding opportunities for Utah children.

Please welcome Austin Hills and Kerri-Ann Finch, who have more gymnastic and tumbling ribbons in their homes than I have electrical outlets. They can do flips and twists that take your breath away, and as of just a few weeks ago, they can now do them on skis.

There's another young athlete like these two named Sarah Ellett, a state champion cross-country runner who is being recruited to cross-country skiing. Sarah is from Loa. And since I call Loa home, too, it gives me particular pleasure to say we could be getting an introduction to the first Olympic skier from southern Utah. In fact, we could be seeing all of these kids again in a few years -- on the medals stand in 2002 or 2006.

This is just one program. Camps for future bobsledders and lugers are coming up this winter, and U.S. Bobsled Coach Pat Brown predicts there will be a youngster from Utah on the U.S. bobsled team – if not this Olympics, than definitely in 2006.

And since $5,000 junior training bobsleds don't just show up under the tree at Christmas, there's an idea brewing to help defray those costs. Let high school auto body shops build them. A bobsled is essentially just metal bars, fiberglass and steel. It can be done -- where there is a will and a way and a community that wants to be part of the worldwide movement that is the Olympics.

I've focused on youth programs, but there are equally elaborate plans for art and cultural projects and education. You will hear about those in detail today, too.

Some examples include the Cultural Olympiad and a national program partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There will be ticketed signature events, community cultural initiatives. Think Shakespearean Festival ... Springville art museum ... Utah Symphony ... cowboy poets on the Heber Creeper.

The education programs are designed to create an Olympic experience for more than half a million Utah students through participatory, activity-based and curriculum-driven projects.

A school art contest is starting in two weeks for fourth through sixth graders in elementary schools statewide. The kids will be creating art to decorate every room in the Athletes' Village.

There is the "One School-One Country" program, where a school adopts a country, learning its customs, culture, language and music. Then when the athletes come here, they would visit the schools that studied their home country.

There are many, many other projects and possibilities. All of them an opportunity.

In conclusion, let's look back once more before we press forward. We decided that we wanted the Games, and we got them. The bid process that culminated in our first-ballot triumph was no accident. The International Olympic Committee knew exactly what it was doing. They knew who could pull it off and who couldn't. They knew us.

We don't have to undergo some kind of transformation to host these Games. We know who we are too – pioneers who made cities bloom in the desert; neighbors who help each other when help is needed; doers and achievers who rise to any occasion. We are a reflection of the West -- young and dynamic, confident and expansive.

The Olympic Committee is getting the job done. The Games will be operated within budget. Our infrastructure will be ready. We are devising plans for security and transportation with the help of the federal government. Venue development is occurring in an environmentally sound manner that protects the lands we love.

There will be inevitable disagreements from time to time. There always are in an undertaking of such magnitude. We will rise above it. History shows we can accomplish whatever we set our mind to.

The Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games promise the spirit and optimism of the American West, a celebration of children and a passion for the land. In 1248 days from now, we will deliver on that promise. Thank you.