The Utah 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are already beginning to build their legacy long before the Olympic flame is lit in the United States. Eight years ahead of the event, the Utah 2034 Organising Committee, with the support of non-profit organisation Ken Garff for Good, has launched Champion Schools 34, a pilot programme that will bring the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements into the classrooms of 72 primary schools across the state this autumn. The initiative aims to use sport as an educational tool capable of strengthening literacy, encouraging school engagement and inspiring students in their academic and personal development.
The project is based on the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) developed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), while adapting its content to the reality and curricula of Utah’s primary schools. Each month, students will focus on a different value through activities that can take place both inside and outside the classroom, creating a connection between everyday learning and the principles associated with sport. For Utah 2034, it also represents the first stage of a broader education strategy designed to ensure that preparations for the Games have a presence in communities well before 2034.
A programme bringing Olympic values into Utah classrooms
Champion Schools 34 aims to ensure that preparations for the Games are not limited to infrastructure, competition or the organisation of the major sporting event. Its approach is based on a more direct idea: bringing the Olympic spirit directly to the children who will grow up in Utah in the years leading up to 2034. Through activities linked to different values, participating schools will be able to incorporate concepts related to excellence, respect and friendship into their educational activities. The goal is for these principles to be presented not simply as concepts associated with an international competition, but as tools that students can recognise and apply in their own school and community experiences.
The programme will focus on a different theme each month, around which specific resources and activities will be developed. This approach allows Olympic values to become part of the schools’ daily routines without separating them completely from the learning process. The initiative also incorporates the Paralympic dimension, broadening the perspective on sport and its ability to create opportunities for participation and inspiration. For Brad Wilson, CEO of Utah 2034, the project represents an important part of the committee’s commitment to building a lasting legacy, allowing the inspiration associated with the Games to reach young people well before the event takes place.
OVEP as the starting point for building Utah 2034’s legacy
Utah’s programme is based on a tool with an extensive international track record. OVEP uses the context of Olympic sport and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism to complement school curricula and provide free, accessible educational resources. To date, its content has been implemented in 138 countries and has reached more than 60 million young people, making it one of the IOC’s key tools for bringing Olympic values into education. In Utah, these resources will be specifically adapted for the state’s primary schools, with the aim of making them relevant to students and their communities.
The launch of Champion Schools 34 will also have a strong in-person dimension throughout September. Seven primary schools will organise their own opening ceremonies to bring some of the traditions of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements into the school environment. Activities will include torch relays, classroom parades and assemblies featuring Olympic and Paralympic athletes, alongside other activities designed to engage educational communities. These celebrations form part of the first phase of a strategy that continues to be developed through the Utah 2034 Education Committee and aims to ensure that the future Games become part of a new generation of students’ experiences well before the winter of 2034.
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