A legacy of Olympic proportions.

• Author: Kinder, Peri
• Position: Business BOOM

It's been nearly 10 years since the world turned its attention to Salt Lake City during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The event featured 78 competitions in 16 days and brought 220,000 visitors to the state. More than 1.5 million tickets were sold, and 2 billion viewers around the globe watched Jim Shea, Jr.'s emotional victory in the skeleton and long-track speeds katers Derek Parra and Chris Witty as they each skated to a gold medal.

Although the state had to build venues, create a transportation system, stage elaborate opening and closing ceremonies, and train thousands of volunteers, the $2.1 billion investment in the Games was paid off almost immediately, and the state received $100 million profit--something nearly unheard of among past Olympic host cities.

Most of that profit--$74 million--went to the Utah Athletic Foundation (UAF), created to become the caretaker for the Olympic legacy facilities, which include the bobsled track, ski jump facility and Utah Olympic Oval.

That investment is paying off through events like the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, which was held at the Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resorts in February. Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission, says this event is the biggest winter sporting competition outside the Olympic Winter Games and featured new disciplines that will appear in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

Utah's proven track record with hosting big events was a big plus for getting the event staged here. Hosting the Olympics gives cities "a certain credibility in the sports marketplace," Robbins says.

National governing bodies have also chosen to set up training facilities in the state including U.S. Speedskating at the Utah Olympic Oval and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, which built the $20 million Center of Excellence, a national training venue where world-class athletes prepare for events.

Robbins says the state's success with the Games has helped bring in more than 500 sporting events including the Dew Tour, Xterra and the Ironman in St. George. Youth sports have also benefited from the Olympic legacy as soccer, volleyball, speedskating and skiing programs are getting more participants.

Spencer Eccles, executive director for the Governor's Office of Economic Development, says these young people will help ensure the future of sports in the state.

"We had athletes competing in Vancouver in 2010 that were kids watching the Olympics in 2002, that...