Utah News

My significant other suggested that I ask each of you to “tuna in” to the Utah Jazz’s upcoming contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t know what could have possibly possessed her to ask this of me, nor have I figured out what tuna could have to do with a basketball game of any scale (no pun intended), but now we are both cursed with the knowledge of a heinous maritime pun.

May this article smite us both.

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Assuming you, the reader, possess the fortitude to withstand such a gut-wrenching play on words, perhaps you’ll likewise brave the Utah Jazz’s (21-57, 14th in West) impending struggle against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16, 1st in West) with similar grace. You are stronger than most, and it’ll take a titanium digestive track to bear the disparity between basketball’s strongest record (OKC) and one of its weakest (Utah).

May I turn your attention to Brice Sensabaugh, who has averaged just shy of 20 points in his last 30 games in the absence of Utah’s veterans. Maybe even Ace Bailey, the Jazz rookie who has erased any buzz that he isn’t happy in the Beehive State and has blossomed into one of the most promising young players in his class? Could I interest you in Cody Williams — who is not terrible — the once-deemed ‘lost cause’ who has scored 20 or more points in seven of his last 10 appearances leading up to Oklahoma City?

The Utah Jazz seemed directionless and empty just a season ago, but with another calendar year of sample size and time in the incubator, Utah’s youngsters are among basketball’s most promising, and could make the Jazz one of the deepest and most dangerous teams in 2026 with a healthy Markkanen, JJJ, Kessler, and George leading the charge (and also AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson would be nice, lottery gods, but I’m not picky).

Sure, OKC is the basketball equivalent of a buzzsaw, essentially disintegrating every team it comes in contact with, and sure, they’ll be the favorites to hoist the NBA Finals trophy for the second consecutive season. Sure, they’ll likely make quick work of the visiting Jazz like a sniffling dog sneezing the powdered sugar off a donut. But something is manifesting in Utah. Don’t take this upcoming result as an indicator of these teams’ true value in the coming years.

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Will Hardy and his intrepid group of Boy Scouts embarked on an excursion back in October that has lasted 78 games and taken the functionality of the troop’s most veteran members. Now, as Troop 801 comes across the Paycom Center and its native Oklahoma City Thunder. A storm of epic proportions forced the youth to fall under temporary shelter, shivering and frightened as lightning tore the sky, and the thunderous voice of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed.

Rain formed puddles, which formed ponds, which turned into lakes. The remaining scouts clung to floating debris like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Those who honored their parent’s age restriction wishes and hadn’t seen James Cameron’s nautical masterpiece were lost to the storm, but the Thunder’s wrath was withstood by the naughty boys who understand what it means to “paint me like one of your French girls”. Is that irony? Doesn’t matter. The waters are rising, and the Thunder is encroaching.

Suddenly, like a fountain, something shot swiftly from beneath the surface and took to the sky. If just for a moment, it seemed as though the storm… flinched? A sign of weakness? A fleeting glance of possibility for the young and chipper Jazz? The shape shed all ambiguity, revealing its head, tail, and… is that a tuna? Perhaps the task of conquering the Thunder is not impossible — perhaps the undermanned Jazz have a fighting chance after all. With a mighty sploosh, the rallier returned to his origin, having struck a match of hope in these fumbling scouts’ hearts.

[Did I stretch too far for the tuna thing? I feel like I might have.]

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

The Utah Jazz have a matchup set with the reigning champion OKC Thunder on Easter Sunday, where they’ll be tasked with a tall task to overcome if they want to claim a late-season win..

Not just because of the talent that lies in front of them with the buzzsaw that is the best record in the NBA, but also due to the outlook of their injury report compared to what the Thunder are dealing with rolling into the weekend.

Here’s what to expect on the injury front for the Jazz’s final matchup of the year against Oklahoma City:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Elijah Harkless (hamstring)

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

It’s the same look as what the Jazz had been dealing with on their injury report for the last matchup they had on tap against the Houston Rockets, one that ended in a 106-140 blowout loss, and their eighth loss in a row.

This one will certainly pose a similar challenge for this young Jazz group that will be without several key pieces in their rotation, headlined by Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen’s extended absence, paired with their trio of season-ending injuries in the frontcourt of Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Jusuf Nurkic.

Isaiah Collier will also miss another game due to his hamstring injury, as will Elijah Harkless with his own respective hamstring issue that’s bound to leave this backcourt without a good chunk of its typical depth.

Another surprising name who continues to miss out of the Jazz’s regular seasion action: two-way signee Blake Hinson, who’s performed well in his limited opportunities, yet continues to be assigned on with the Salt Lake City Stars, rather than on the main roster.

In the 11 games Hinson has played with the Jazz, he’s averaged 11.6 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the field and 50.9% from three.

Perhaps he’ll get another shot to suit up for the Jazz in the final three games that remain before their outing against OKC, but don’t expect to see him on the floor Sunday despite the several injuries to ravage their rotation.

OKC Thunder Injury Report

OUT – Thomas Sorber (knee)

It’s a far different story on the Thunder’s side of the equation headed into their matchup with Utah, as their only injury absence will be the name they’ve been without all season long in rookie big man Thomas Sorber with a torn ACL.

That means all of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams will all be healthy and ready to go for tip-off against a Jazz team without four of five projected starters for next season.

Will Hardy was bound to have his hands full already, like any head coach would against the Thunder, but the lopsided outlook on the injury report definitely won’t help his case to put an end to Utah’s lingering losing streak.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Thunder lands at 5 p.m. MT in the Paycom Center, where OKC will be eager to add to their own streak with what might make for their fifth consecutive win to further their lead as the top seed in the West.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (ABC4) — The Eagle Mountain Division of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help finding a runaway juvenile.

The runaway, identified as Jaylianna Glines, was last seen leaving her home in the area of Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain Friday night, April 3. She was reportedly wearing jeans, a white jacket, and black shoes.

Jaylianna Glines was last seen leaving her home in the area of Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain Friday night, April 3. (Courtesy: Utah County Sheriff’s Office)

Glines is described as 5’8″, 120 lbs.

“We believe she may have gone to a friend’s house but we don’t know what house she could be at,” the sheriff’s office posted on social media. “If you’ve seen her or may know where she is, please call into dispatch and ask to speak to a deputy.”

What should you do if someone goes missing?

The first thing to do is call local law enforcement and report the case. Utah officials say there is no required waiting period to report a missing person. In an emergency, call 911.

When working with local law enforcement, it is recommended one shares as much information as possible about the missing person, including but not limited to:

• Full name or nicknames.

• Recent photos.

• Date of birth and age at the time they disappeared.

• Gender/sex.

• Detailed physical description (including unique scars or tattoos).

• Date of disappearance.

• Medical conditions.

• Last known location.

• Social media accounts.

Utah officials also suggest taking notes on interactions with law enforcement to keep track of details such as officer names, dates and times of interactions, the case number and what the officers say.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

“Orchids are big into moving their pollen, and so they will give a reward like a nectar. They will put out a fragrance to bring in a different type of pollinator. They have a different shape. There’s actually an orchid that looks like a bee,” said Bruce Hugo, President of Utah Orchid Society.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah’s snowpack on April 1 was the lowest ever observed since systematic snowpack measurements began, and it’s worse when compared to the next lowest year by a wide margin.

According to a report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Utah Snow Survey, historic snow records date back to 1930, and the 2026 Utah snowpack is unprecedented. The next lowest April 1 snow water equivalent (SWE) was in 2015, but even that year was about five times higher than the statewide SWE in 2026.

Historic low snowpack leaves Utah bracing for a tough water year

Snow water equivalent is what you get when you melt snow into its liquid state. The next lowest April 1 SWE in Utah was 1934, 1977, and 2018. The NRCS said that this historically low snowpack is strongly going to influence water supply forecasts for Utah this year.

Our snowpack peaked early this season on March 7, at 8.3 inches of SWE. For comparison, the median peak snowpack in Utah is 14 inches. The 2026 peak is lower than 2015 and 2018 by two whole inches.

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The low snowpack is going to have an impact on reservoirs throughout Utah, especially in Southern Utah. The majority of water basins in southern Utah are below 20%, with several below 1%. One of the largest concerns is Lake Powell/Glen Canyon, with officials worrying that the lake will reach dead pool levels, where the Glen Canyon Dam will no longer be able to generate energy.

This year is going to be a difficult year in terms of water supply, but it’s not completely hopeless. Reservoirs still have a decent amount of water, and we’re a little better off now than we were in 2021 and 2022.

“We can recover from this. One of the things we are still benefitting from is a reservoir system that’s between 60 and 70% capacity for the state of Utah,” said Jordan Clayton, data collection officer and supervisor with the Utah Snow Survey.

However, it would take several years of great snowpack to recover, which seems to be less and less common these days.

Latest headlines:

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

A measles outbreak near the Arizona-Utah border that began in August has surpassed 500 cases, new state numbers show.

The outbreak since August 2025 has totaled 516 cases to date — 274 in Arizona and 242 in southwest Utah, according to data from both states as of April 2. State health officials in Utah and Arizona have confirmed a total of 43 hospitalizations and no deaths from the outbreak.

Case numbers in Mohave County on the Arizona side of the state border appear to have slowed, but cases continue to rise in southwest Utah, as well as in Utah as a whole, data shows. The cases are primarily from in and around the twin communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah.

While the early Utah outbreak was centered around the state border with Arizona, “we are now seeing community spread across the whole state of Utah,” Charla Haley, assistant communications director for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in an email.

“And, while most of our cases stem from this original border outbreak, they aren’t necessarily tied directly to it or the community.”

New measles cases confirmed in Coconino County

Utah health officials, as of April 2, had confirmed 362 cases of measles to date in 2026, with 142 cases reported during the past three weeks.

By comparison, Arizona has confirmed 71 cases in 2026. Sixty of the Arizona cases to date have been in Mohave County. In 2025, Arizona confirmed 220 measles cases, the highest number in the state in more than three decades.

Utah has had more than three times the number of measles cases as Arizona so far in 2026. Utah’s population, at about 3.5 million, is approximately 54% smaller than Arizona’s estimated 7.6 million.

Health officials in Coconino County in northern Arizona recently confirmed the county’s first measles cases of 2026 and named public exposure sites in Page and in Tuba City, which is on the Navajo Nation. The cases at this time have not been linked to the Mohave County outbreak, Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson Magda Rodriguez wrote in an email.

Exposure sites from the Coconino County cases, which were confirmed March 20 and March 30, include the Tuba City Regional Health Care emergency department, Banner Page Hospital, the Safeway in Page, a Page Unified School District bus, Manson Mesa High School in Page and Page High School.

“If there is a broader public health risk or a need for community notification, we will share that information promptly,” Coconino County Health and Human Services spokesperson Trish Lees wrote in an email.

“We continue to work closely with state and tribal partners as appropriate to monitor the situation and support prevention efforts, including case investigation, contact notification, and public education regarding measles symptoms, exposure and vaccination.”

Arizona-Utah measles outbreak one of the country’s largest in 2025

The Arizona-Utah flare-up was one of three major U.S. measles outbreaks in 2025. The other two were in Texas and South Carolina. Three deaths have been connected with the Texas outbreak, and the upstate South Carolina outbreak is ongoing, with 698 cases reported in 2026, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health U.S. Measles Tracker.

Outbreaks are occurring in tandem with increased public distrust in science and vaccine skepticism from the Trump administration, including the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The U.S. is currently at risk of losing its measles elimination status, which it achieved in 2000. Elimination means no continuous spread of the virus for 12 or more months.

Both Utah and Arizona allow parents to exempt their children from school-required vaccinations, including the MMR — measles, mumps and rubella — for personal belief or religious reasons.

Utah and Arizona were among 17 states in the 2024-25 school year where 5% or more of kindergarteners claimed an exemption from the MMR vaccine, which means they did not have community protection against measles. The target for MMR coverage is 95% coverage to provide “herd immunity” or group protection from measles, which is an extremely contagious virus.

California, New York, New Mexico, Maine and Massachusetts are among the states that do not allow personal or religious belief exemptions, and all had herd immunity against MMR during the 2024-25 academic year, according to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization.

Most Arizona and U.S. parents continue to vaccinate their children, and recent polls have shown that most Americans believe that childhood vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness.

Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@usatodayco.com or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes or on Bluesky: @stephanieinnes.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona-Utah measles outbreak surpasses 500 cases

The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets played in what was clearly an end-of-season game for two teams going in different directions this offseason. Houston won easily, 140-106. Houston is a talented but imperfect team that was able to out-talent the Jazz, who are playing a rotation of developmental players, rookies, and 10-day contract players. Utah is currently in the 5th spot of the lottery, hoping to potentially catch the Sacramento Kings and move into 4th. The Rockets are in the 5th spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, hoping to jump to 4th.

With both teams at almost exact opposites of the standings spectrum, it’s hard not to feel better about the future of the Jazz compared to the Rockets. Houston cashed their chips to bring on Kevin Durant and started the season hot, but have slowly been on a downward trajectory. Losing Steven Adams was a big loss, and they haven’t been right since a recent group chat story involving Kevin Durant during the All-Star break. The Jazz are having to rest every player and sign a group of 10-day contract players to make sure they keep their pick this season. With Jaren Jackson Jr. waiting to join an already interesting core of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler, it’s hard not to think the Jazz could pass up the Rockets as soon as next season. And what if the Jazz win the lottery?

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That said, this is a recap of what happened tonight. Utah lost by a lot, but were able to show some real improvement from some of their young core. Cody Williams scored 27 points on 10/16 shooting from the field, he was 7/10 from the free throw line with 11 rebounds. Oh, and he also dished out 4 assists. Quite the line from a player who was getting called a bust after an up-and-down rookie season. Now, it’s clear that Williams is a player who will be a part of the rotation in future seasons. How much is the question?

Ace Bailey continues to show the flashes of a bright future with his combination of shooting and now impressive drives to the rim. Bailey has been the opposite of his scouting report, where he was called a selfish chucker. Instead, he’s a player who looks for the pass, rebounds, and defends hard while also shooting the ball at a higher level than expected. Tonight, Bailey had 22 points with 6 rebounds, and it didn’t look particularly hard for him to get there.

Brice Sensabaugh was solid again tonight with his 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. It’s the 5 assists that are really encouraging. To start the season, Sensabaugh had a style of play that stopped the ball and hurt the flow of the offense. Now, Sensabaugh is looking more and more comfortable playing within the offense and not looking to shoot every time he has the ball. His shooting has also improved, and he’s scoring an impressive amount regardless of the opponent. That scoring is going to make him a valuable player the Jazz can call on in the future when they need scoring off the bench.

Finally, Kyle Filipowski is proving he’s an effective NBA rotation player. His scoring is legit against a wide variety of opponents. Tonight he was solid with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He’s proving that he can be an effective weapon off the bench as a power forward. Utah will need him next season for depth, even though it may be difficult to find minutes for him. At times, they may use him as a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” center if they need a stretch five that can score, but that comes with real problems on defense. That said, Utah has a known commodity in Filipowski, who can score on good efficiency, and his contract makes that really valuable.

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Utah now has just four games left and will be watching the standings really closely. There’s a reasonable chance they pass the Kings, but that will take the Kings making silly mistakes. On second thought, maybe that’s a real possibility.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall responded to Friday’s Trump administration-issued executive order “to save college sports” — calling it a “meaningful step” toward stability at a historic moment of staggering disruption.

In an executive order signed just hours before the tip-off of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four, President Donald Trump issued his directive entitled: “Urgent National Action To Save College Sports.”

The president had pledged to issue the executive order during a March 6, 2026, roundtable discussion at the White House that included Randall and dozens of other leaders from the diverse worlds of politics, business, higher education and sports.

In his Friday order, Trump referenced a “chaotic state of affairs” that he claims has undermined competition, reduced opportunities for student-athletes and jeopardized women’s and Olympic sports.

“Fair competition cannot occur without a consistent set of rules concerning pay-for-play or player eligibility that cannot be endlessly relitigated in court,” wrote Trump.

Included in the president’s directive are provisions limiting college athlete transfers that are certain to garner broad attention among athletic programs and college sports fans. Student-athletes repeatedly jumping to other programs has dramatically changed the college sports landscape in recent years.

The executive order also notes the pressures being felt by universities to win in football and basketball.

Such expectations, wrote Trump, are coupled with court battles and state legislatures loosening rules concerning player eligibility, transfers and pay-for-play schemes that have created “an out-of-control financial arms race” driving schools into debt — while jeopardizing educational/graduation opportunities for student-athletes.

Such “financial perils”, added the president, will siphon educational and research dollars from universities.

The executive order also warns that without a “comprehensive national solution,” the costs exacted on colleges to succeed in wildly popular sports such as football and basketball could prompt the demise of women’s and Olympics sports — “and may even jeopardize the overall financial well-being of universities.”

Trump called upon Congress to “expeditiously” pass legislation addressing the issues highlighted in his executive order.

Friday’s executive order can’t be legally enforced without the backing of a law passed by Congress, USA Today reported.

And Congress has faced delays on legislation to regulate college sports.

“An executive order’s authority must derive from an already existing statute or a constitutionally enumerated presidential power,” the American Constitution Society states on its website.

But such presidential executive orders still carry legitimate weight.

They can pressure Congress to act on legislation. And universities could face federal funding cuts if they don’t comply with the Trump administration, added the USA Today report.

President Taylor Randall: ‘We will protect & elevate the legacy of Utah Athletics’

In his statement Friday following Trump’s executive order, Randall repeated his intent for the University of Utah to take a lead role at a moment of “profound change” in college athletics.

“At the University of Utah, that meant advancing innovative solutions like Utah Brand Initiatives — an effort designed to sustain the legacy of Utah Athletics while protecting our core academic, research and health care missions.”

College sports, added Randall, are at an inflection point.

The transfer portal, NIL and last year’s House v. NCAA settlement “has reshaped the landscape introducing both new opportunities and significant financial and structural challenges for institutions across the country.”

Now Friday’s executive order, he added, underscores key priorities discussed at last month’s roundtable.

“Our focus remains clear: We will protect and elevate the legacy of Utah Athletics; support the development of our student-athletes, including those in Olympic and women’s sports, so they thrive in competition, in the classroom and in life; and continue to build a financial model that ensures long-term success without compromising the mission of a leading public research university.”

Trump set his sights on controversial transfer portal

One key element in Friday’s “save college sports” executive order focuses on athletes transferring from one school to another.

The order directs federal agencies to evaluate rules on transferring, eligibility and “pay-for-play” — and then determine if rule violations render a school unfit for federal grants and contracts.

Trump also called for updated rules “to restore financial stability and protect the future of college sports” by establishing athlete eligibility limits — including a five-year participation window.

But college sports fans living in Utah will likely be relieved to read that the order includes a caveat: There would be “limited exceptions” to the five-year eligibility limit that includes military service and missionary service.

The executive order also seeks to limit student-athletes to a single transfer during their five-year period “with immediate playing eligibility” — and one additional transfer for a student-athlete who has claimed a bachelor’s degree.

A directive to implement revenue-sharing between colleges and athletes “in a manner that preserves or expands scholarships and opportunities in women’s and Olympic sports” is also included.

Trump’s “save college sports” executive order provisions would go into effect on Aug. 1, 2026 — and be implemented “consistent with applicable law.”

NCAA president responds to Trump’s order

In response to Friday’s executive order, NCAA President Charlie Baker said Trump’s directives reinforce existing mandatory protections for student-athletes — including guaranteed health care coverage and mental health services.

Baker added the executive order is a “significant” step forward:

“Stabilizing college athletics for student-athletes still requires a permanent, bipartisan federal legislative solution — so we look forward to continuing to work alongside the administration and Congress to enact targeted legislation with the support of student-athlete leaders from all three divisions.”

One of the most lasting lessons organizers of Utah’s 2034 Winter Games learned during Italy’s Olympics may have come from seeing some paper plates proudly displayed on a wall in a Milan classroom.

The plates were part of a program by the organizers of the recently concluded 2026 Winter Games to engage school children in the region by encouraging them to re-create a variety of Olympic-related items.

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There were elaborate replicas of the Games’ gold, silver and bronze medals, cauldron that held the Olympic flame, pictograms depicting individual sports, and even carefully detailed copies of artwork showcasing athletic feats.

But what stood out was something else, a set of ordinary paper plates with all but the rims cut away that had been arranged in the shape of the iconic symbol of the Olympics, the five interlocking blue, yellow, black, green and red rings.

“It doesn’t take a lot to have a big impact,” said Catherine Raney Norman, the vice president for development and athlete relations for the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

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The art project, “literally, just small, colored plates in the colors of the rings, that’s how they made the Olympic rings,” Raney Norman, a four-time Olympic speedskater, said. “It’s very simple right? So I think it’s OK for us to lean into simplicity.”

That means tapping into “our families and our schools to help as well,” she said, as Italian parents and educators enthusiastically did, noting that “there’s a lot of ambition” surrounding what can be done in Utah to involve children in the Olympics.

Even as chair of the bid committee that brought Utah a second Winter Games, Raney Norman was pitching what was being called “Project 29,” a plan to offer Olympic sports opportunities to schools in each of the state’s 29 counties ahead of 2034.

A portion of the now more than $250 million in private donations already raised by the organizing committee through its unique “Podium34″ program is expected to go towards the education program.

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“Our hope is to execute, or at least pilot on, an education initiative as quickly as we can. But we also want to make sure that it’s set up for success,” Raney Norman said, adding it doesn’t need to be all that complicated.

“My biggest lesson from Milan-Cortina is, simplicity is fine. Really, like it’s OK to just do paper plates. Simplicity is OK in that it’s how you build that experience,” she said. “We don’t have to overthink. It’s easy to overthink when you’re planning a mega sporting event.”

Milan-Cortina’s Olympic education program was a “huge success,” with more than 1.5 million largely grade-school children participating, said Darren Hughes, the organizing committee’s vice president for operations and planning.

Hughes, a veteran of more than a dozen Olympics since working at Utah’s first Winter Games in 2002 kicked off a consulting career, said he was still surprised by the program’s effect on the community.

“They did this coolest little activation. They basically made an Olympic museum in the school. The tour guides were the students and they delivered the tours in both English and Italian,” Hughes said. “Each of the classrooms had contributed something to this museum.”

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Touring the work of the students “was actually really emotional,” he said.

The reason? It was a chance for the school to feel a sense of “ownership over the Games, somehow, or belonging to the Games,” he said. “These are school kids who might not have otherwise had an opportunity to connect to the Games … but they all had the Olympic spirit.”

High bar for Utah’s 2034 Winter Games

There already are big expectations for Utah’s next Olympics, which also carry a big price tag, $4 billion, money that is all anticipated to be raised from private sources including the sale of broadcast rights, sponsorships and tickets.

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The first Winter Games held in the state, in 2002, were widely viewed as one of the most successful ever, overcoming the impacts of both an international bribery scandal and the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the U.S.

The International Olympic Committee has set the bar high, with a top official declaring after Utah organizers made their first formal presentation in Italy that with so much already in place for 2034, there’s plenty of time to find ways to improve the Games.

“We have all the conditions for these Games to be outstanding,” the IOC’s Olympic Games executive director, Christophe Dubi, said at the meeting, urging organizers not to plan at this stage but instead to, “Think about innovations. Think about legacy. Think about elevate.”

And this time around, it’s the state, not Salt Lake City, serving as the official host. Gov. Spencer Cox and legislative leaders have made it clear they expect the entire state to be involved even though the Games will be held largely along the Wasatch Front.

Italy’s Games are a much different story, the first to have two official hosts, Milan, one of Italy’s largest cities, and Cortina, a mountain resort several hundred miles away that was the site of the 1956 Winter Games.

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The distance between venues in those and other locations scattered across Northern Italy required six separate villages to house athletes and made it difficult for spectators to see multiple sports due to what’s been described as an “emotional experience” getting around.

Italy’s decision to emphasize its iconic skiing and other venues despite how widespread they were meant many spectators headed to a single location and stayed put rather than attempting to travel to see other events.

Utah will have a much smaller footprint, with a single athletes village located once again at the University of Utah, no more than an hour away from any venue. But that comes with bigger crowds, especially since organizers plan to sell about twice as many tickets.

Kelsey Berg, the organizing committee’s director of government relations, said she’s “grateful that we have some different challenges” than Italian organizers faced although “it will be a challenge to have everyone in one spot.”

For Berg, who works closely with state and local officials, a key goal for the 2034 Games is a simple one, limiting interruptions in day-to-day activities. While that was never going to be easy, it’s clearly going to be harder than it was in Italy.

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“A benefit of the broader, more spread out Games is it doesn’t seem like it’s much of a impact,” she said. “Whereas here, obviously, we’ll have much more of a bigger impact of moving people around for the Games because it will be so compact.”

The governor and others who traveled to Italy to observe the 2026 Games were able to see how to continue to run services including those that “aren’t the most flashy, exciting things,” like trash pickup, when roads are shut down to accommodate Olympic traffic.

“Life still continues,” Berg said. “For residents, you want it to be a good experience. You don’t want it to be an obstacle … because it upends so much of their daily lives. It’s how do you have them participate and yet it be a blessing at the same time.”

In the end, Utahns will get out of the Games what they put in, she said.

“Everyone will do the Games their own way,” Berg said, just like they do for an event like Midway’s annual Swiss Days. “Some love it because they engage, they volunteer, they’re just willing to accept the traffic and the people” while others want to avoid it entirely.

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It’s important to government officials that both of the options work for Utahns, she said.

Berg said that’s “honestly because what we need is that public support to be able to host again. So if it just becomes a nuisance, you’re not going to have the general support and elected leaders reflect their constituents. … We can’t do it on our own.”

Utah’s Olympic pressure

Fraser Bullock, the organizing committee’s president and executive chair, acknowledged the expectations. Bullock, who was the chief operating officer for the 2002 Games and the leader of the bid effort, said that comes with experience.

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“Utah 2034 is viewed very positively, partly because of the relationships that have been built over the decades, partly because of the trust they have in us,” he said. “But they’re also looking to us to help advance the movement of the Olympics and the Paralympics.”

That’s an opportunity as well as an obligation, Bullock said, and it adds pressure.

“It doesn’t mean we have to be bigger and grander,” he said, noting finding ways of doing more with less is also important. “There are many areas we can look at in terms of enhancing the delivery of the Games while being more efficient.”

Those include broad areas like technology as well as solutions to specific issues, Bullock said, like better utilizing the free seats set aside for athletes, IOC members, sport officials and others in what’s called the Olympic family that were only about half full at the Milan-Cortina Games.

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Such improvements, though, would take place behind the scenes and organizers have a lot to live up to in terms of what the public sees.

“Let’s note that 2002 was a spectacular success and if we match that, we’ve done a great job. But of course, we aspire to be different and exciting and dynamic,” Bullock said, adding that even equaling what was accomplished at Utah’s first Olympics is still “a big undertaking.”

That doesn’t mean a repeat of 2002. With 40% more events in 2034, including new big air skiing and snowboarding competitions that will require a massive temporary jump to be built in downtown Salt Lake City, that couldn’t happen anyway.

Italy’s embrace of its widespread Games demonstrated the importance of focusing on strengths. After Paris staged an extravagant show throughout the 2024 Summer Games, Italy scaled back, stressing sustainability.

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Yet the 2026 venues had unique personalities, created by everything from situating seating to frame stunning views to sport production, the music, videos and other entertainment provided to engage fans before, during and after competitions.

All that combined “to create the excitement, the great spectator experience,” Bullock said, showcasing both the venue and the sport. “There’s an excitement and a vibe … that is really special. It’s not just the competition. It’s the whole experience of being there.”

Italy’s Games also immersed fans in their country’s culture, he said, allowing it “to shine through everywhere we went,” not just in the Opening Ceremonies that typically serve as a showcase for an Olympic host.

“You expect that flair to be there. But with the people, you could feel that Italian hospitality, that was spectacular, the friendliness of the people and their willingness to help in every way with the beautiful Italian accents. It was great,” Bullock said.

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In 2034, he said the United States will be celebrated along with Utah.

“We need to obviously stay true to Utah, its history, its values, its culture, but also recognize that we’re part of a great country,” Bullock said. “The U.S. is the host country and we need to recognize that.”

It’s Utah, though, that much is expected of in 2034.

“We had tons of pressure in ‘02 because we hadn’t done it before,” Bullock said. “This time around, yes, we know what to do because we’ve done it before. But it doesn’t change the magnitude of the task, which is a ton of work by a lot of dedicated people.”