Senator predicts another Salt Lake Olympics
A quick check on the Ukrainian curling teams sees U.S. politicians crashing their training sessions.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. Particularly for Utah senator Mitt Romney, whose state is the base for numerous displaced Ukrainian athletes.
“It was an honor to meet them, hear about their families and loved ones back home, and even curl with them during a practice session,” said Romney, who visited the team’s training base in Kearns late last month.
Romney was the chief organizer of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, before launching his political career.
“The Olympic culture is ingrained in our state—Utahns love the Olympics,” Romney said.
“I hope to be able to see them compete in Salt Lake City when the Olympics come back in 2030 or 2034.”
Prior to their arrival in the United States, the men’s and women’s teams competed at the European B-Division Championships in Lithuania, where the men’s team scored a surprising silver medal.
Curling made major inroads within the Olympic family with the 2002 Games, as new U.S. Olympic television partner NBC dedicated significant hours of coverage, particularly on subsidiary channels such as CNBC.