Utah 2034 has launched Champion Schools 34, a statewide education programme designed to use sport and Olympic and Paralympic values to strengthen literacy, school engagement and academic participation. The inaugural pilot will involve 72 elementary schools across seven Utah school districts, with a series of school-based “Opening Ceremonies” taking place throughout September.

Building the legacy before the Games

Rather than treating legacy as something delivered after the closing ceremony, Champion Schools 34 represents an attempt to embed the Games within communities well ahead of 2034.

The programme will use sport as a catalyst for teaching values, with participating schools focusing on different themes each month. Its digital platform will provide lesson plans, book recommendations, motivational videos featuring Olympians and Paralympians and opportunities for pupils to track reading minutes and earn prizes.

Brad Wilson, CEO of Utah 2034, said:

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games have the power to inspire people of all ages, and we want that inspiration to start reaching Utah’s young people long before 2034.”

He added that Champion Schools 34 formed an important part of the organisation’s commitment to creating “a lasting legacy by bringing the values of sport into classrooms across our state”.

Creating champions beyond sport

Developed with Ken Garff for Good, the programme extends the organisation’s existing Literacy Initiative and places particular emphasis on what it means to be a champion away from competition.

Amy Garff, Chair of the Utah 2034 Education Committee, explained:

“Being a champion isn’t just about what happens on the playing field – it’s about showing up, working hard, respecting others, persevering through challenges, and believing in what you’re capable of.”

The ambition, she added, is for every student to recognise both their own potential and “the role they can play in making their classroom and school stronger”.

From global values to local impact

Champion Schools 34 builds upon the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), which has been implemented in 138 countries and reached more than 60 million young people. Those principles will now be adapted specifically for Utah’s elementary schools.

Importantly, the initiative is beginning as a pilot rather than a finished programme. Erin Trenbeath-Murray, President of Ken Garff for Good, said working alongside teachers and school leaders would allow organisers to “listen, learn and build a program that provides real value for schools and students”.

“This pilot gives us an opportunity to learn together and create a model that can grow to reach even more students in Utah and beyond,” she added.

Eight years to create an impact

Seven schools will stage their own Opening Ceremonies during September, featuring torch relays, classroom parades, assemblies and appearances by Olympians and Paralympians.

For Utah 2034, the significance extends beyond introducing children to the Games. Champion Schools demonstrates how a major sporting event can begin generating social impact years before athletes arrive.

The challenge will be to measure whether that early engagement translates into stronger literacy, sustained participation and meaningful community outcomes. If it does, Utah 2034 could provide an important model for how future host cities and regions think about Olympic legacy – not as something left behind by the Games, but something built deliberately on the journey towards them.