Salt Lake City is 1st City in the World to Host All 3 IOC Sanctioned Events

Rocky Anderson proudly touted Salt Lake City's distinction of being the first city in the world to host all three of the International Olympic Committees sanctioned events - the 19th Olympic Winter Games, the 8th Paralympic Winter Games and the upcoming Winter Deaflympics in 2007.

Standing before international media in Turin, Italy, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson delivered a speech Sunday which detailed the impact of the Olympic Games on Utah and offered advice to the mayors of other cities on how to sustain the Olympic legacy. Quoting the essay A Modern Olympia by Games founder Pierre de Coubertin, Anderson made comparisons between Salt Lake City and Coubertin's vision of the ideal host city. In a copy of his speech made available to The Tribune, Anderson is quoted as saying, "To truly become a new Olympia means to remember the greatness of the Olympic events we witnessed, and to channel that greatness into the healthy and sensible transformation of our cities." The Mayor was invited to Turin along with mayors from several other former host cities worldwide with the goal of promoting their cities and creating additional international interest, said Anderson's spokesman Patrick Thronson.

"Salt Lake City's increased ability to host large, world championship-level events has resulted in part from the legacy of its Olympic facilities," said the mayor. The 2002 Games drew 250,000 visitors who spent an estimated $350 million. They were watched by over 2 billion viewers in 160 countries and covered by 10,600 journalists, Anderson said.

by Michael N. Westley, The Salt Lake Tribune