University of Utah Launches Olympic Research Center

New center will study the societal impacts of hosting the Winter Games

Apr. 16, 2026 at 7:44am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented winter sports scene, with sharp planes of color and overlapping shapes representing the complex societal effects of hosting the Olympics.The University of Utah's new Olympic research center will take a multidisciplinary approach to studying the societal impacts of hosting the Winter Games.Park City Today

The University of Utah has approved the establishment of the Olympic Research Center for Societal Impact, a new academic initiative designed to study the economic, environmental, and community effects of hosting the Winter Olympics. The center will be co-directed by experts from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, and will engage students and faculty across multiple disciplines.

Why it matters

As Utah prepares to host the Winter Olympics again in 2034, the University of Utah sees an opportunity to establish itself as a global leader in Olympic research. The new center will help the university and the state better understand and communicate the wide-ranging impacts of hosting the Games, informing future planning and legacy efforts.

The details

The Olympic Research Center will have several research pillars focused on the social, environmental, and economic impacts of hosting large-scale sporting events. It will build on the university's existing expertise and relationships, including its role in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games. The center aims to provide more opportunities for students and faculty to engage with Olympic-related research, and plans to collaborate with external partners like the International Olympic Committee and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

  • The University of Utah trustees approved the center on Tuesday, April 16, 2026.
  • Utah is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics again in 2034.

The players

Natalie Gochnour

Director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and a key architect of the proposal for the Olympic Research Center.

John Lin

Scientific director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy and a professor of atmospheric sciences, who will co-direct the new center.

Taylor Randall

President of the University of Utah, who strongly endorsed the proposed research center as part of the university's broader Olympics strategy.

University of Oregon

Another U.S. university that has established an Olympic Studies Hub in its business school.

Arizona State University

One of the few other U.S. universities that has recently established an Olympic-focused research center.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We want to be a research hub that would measure and communicate social, environmental and economic impacts of hosting Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and other large-scale sporting events.”

— Natalie Gochnour, Director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute

“What we're doing here is building on legacy. We have an opportunity here to seize the moment and have a real impact. We're hoping to have a research hub that has several pillars focusing on societal, environmental, and economic impacts.”

— John Lin, Scientific Director, Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy

“We will be in 2034, the only university in the world to have hosted in two Olympic Games. We feel like this is an important investment for the enduring legacy of those Games and how they interacted with our campus.”

— Taylor Randall, President, University of Utah

What’s next

The next step for the Olympic Research Center is to win formal recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), then expand its lines of inquiry by inviting more scholars and researchers from across the University of Utah campus to join the effort.

The takeaway

The University of Utah's new Olympic Research Center represents a strategic investment in understanding and communicating the wide-ranging societal impacts of hosting the Winter Games. As Utah prepares to welcome the Olympics back in 2034, this center will help the university and the state leverage their Olympic legacy to drive research, engage students, and shape the future of international sports.