During a week that saw plenty of big news, including President Joe Biden dropping his bid for a second term and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee in the November election, the majority of New York Times readers still were paying attention when Utah got the 2034 Winter Games.
According to the posted results of the newspaper’s July 26 weekly online News Quiz, 78% of 370,330 readers taking the multiple choice test knew the correct answer to the following question: “What American city won the bid to host the 2034 Olympics?,” picking Salt Lake City over Bozeman, Montana; Denver; Seattle; and Portland, Oregon.
The International Olympic Committee voted 83-6 to award a second Winter Games to Salt Lake City, which had hosted in 2002. The decision was made at an IOC meeting In Paris on July 24, celebrated in Utah as Pioneer Day, and came just before the start of the 2024 Summer Games that continue through Aug. 11.
The New York Times’ explanation for the correct answer focused on the 2002 Winter Games, but not the “superb” label given by then IOC President Jacques Rogge to what was the first major international event held after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Instead, the newspaper referred to the international bribery scandal that surfaced in the the late 1990s, when Utah bidders were found to have handed out more than $1 million in cash, gifts and other inducements to secure the support of IOC members around the world.
“Salt Lake City, where a brazen bribery scandal before the 2002 Winter Olympics helped change the way host cities are chosen, was given a second chance when it was named the site of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” the newspaper’s explanation read.
The question wasn’t the only one in that week’s quiz related to the Olympics. Another dealt with the amenities at the athlete housing at the Paris Games, asking, “About how many baked goods — baguettes, croissants — will a bakery at the Olympic Village make each day?”
Options ranged from 1,000 to 10,000, but the correct choice is 2,000 French treats. According to the explanation, “A boulangerie near the village entrance will make more than 2,000 baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat and focaccia daily, and will even offer baking classes for athletes.”