The Organising Committee announced the programme at its headquarters in Salt Lake City on Monday, with 22 “Founding Captains” and “Founding Donors” of Podium34 recognised. Some of these have remained anonymous, while others have chosen to go public.

There are two tiers of participants. The Founding Captains, who have provided a $20 million contribution, and the Founding Donors, who donated between $1-15 million each. For Founding Captains, there is an opportunity to see their support turned into sport and community initiatives that reflect their missions. These can be in areas such as education, youth sports, mental health, arts and culture and community engagement.

Salt Lake City-Utah’s aim is to raise $300 million through the programme, with Podium34 reportedly already making up over $200 million on the date of its launch. Organisers claim this is the “largest-ever philanthropic campaign in support of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.

“The Games have an extraordinary power to unify," said Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 President and Executive Chair Fraser Bullock. "This is the first time a host for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has seen anything like this. We are deeply grateful to our donors for making it possible. Their leadership is a vital part of our commitment to host financially successful Games.”

Some of these donors include the non-profit foundations linked to Utah corporations. Among them are Ryan Smith, owner of National Basketball Association team Utah Jazz and National Hockey League side Utah Mammoth. Others include convenience store corporation Maverik, and the Daniels Fund – a foundation founded by cable television executive and former sports team owner Bill Daniels.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry sent a message of gratitude to the donors, during the Podium34 press announcement.

“To the Utah families and giving organisations of Podium34, thank you.

“You are the heart of this new chapter. Your belief, your vision, and your leadership are powerful elements of the Utah legacy. As Founding Captains and Donors of Podium34, you’re taking the helm of something unprecedented and you’ve chosen to lead, from the very beginning, to fuel the heart of this movement.

“You are sending a powerful message to the world that sport can inspire, that communities can be lifted, and that, together, we can build something greater than ourselves.”

Salt Lake City-Utah was awarded the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024 and formed their Organising Committee in February of this year. The IOC Future Host Commission nominated Salt Lake City-Utah as its preferred candidate in November 2023, before this was approved at the IOC Session in Paris in July 2024.

The 2034 Winter Olympic Games are set to take place from February 10 to 26 2034, followed by the Paralympic Games from March 10 to 19.

Global youth entertainment brand Nitro Circus first rose to prominence fifteen years ago thanks to the unbelievably outrageous stunts Travis Pastrana and team captured on film from their home studio. Originally intended for DVD and then for television, it was only a matter of time before Nitro Circus’ must-see content went viral as the internet developed into a multimedia platform. With Travis and friends pushing the limits in the name of fun and adventure, fans inspired by their jaw-dropping exploits quickly began to spread the word about these daring feats on the newly interconnected digital networks coming online at the time.

Then after the Nitro Circus live show debuted in 2010 the phenomenon exploded globally as fans could now post photos and videos of their heroes in person, sharing their first-hand experiences worldwide. Nitro Circus’ Facebook Followers soon numbered in the millions as the tour rolled on across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. Currently over 20 million strong, this global community of engaged fans has established Nitro Circus as leaders in the digital space.

Now, as linear television rapidly converges with digital media, Nitro Circus is perfectly positioned at the forefront of this multiplatform, multiscreen future.

Nitro Circus took a bold step forward in this direction during the 2017 Nitro World Games: by innovatively pairing the live network TV broadcast of the action sports competition with a global Facebook livestream, fans everywhere could witness the game-changing world’s firsts on display from Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium, all in real time and on any device (Facebook had shown the event overseas the year prior, but this was the first time that the livestream was available worldwide).

Fast-forward to the present day, with Nitro World Games expanding and announcing new disciplines held in multiple locations across the planet, and this global reach only continues to grow. Highlights from the recent FMX Best Trick contest alone have gone viral on Facebook, exceeding over two million views to date. So far, Nitro World Games 2018 has generated over 10 million views across six live broadcasts of contests held in Utah and Southern California with more than 44 million impressions in total. Viewership truly spans the globe, with content translated into five different languages. Now, having just announced a partnership with the UK’s Scootfest freestyle scooter festival and with more details about other Nitro World Games events still to come, look for these figures to continue to grow exponentially over the course of the year.

Beyond action sports competition, Nitro Circus Media Productions has created a diverse slate of compelling original content. After co-producing the record-breaking “Evel Live” TV special with HISTORY, Travis Pastrana’s tribute to Evel Knievel was later simultaneously broadcast and livestreamed in Brazil, South America’s largest media market.

Digital series such as “Off the Grid” and “Out and About with the Nitro Circus Crew” showcase the exciting adventures Nitro Circus athletes get into – everything from swimming with sharks in the waters outside South Africa to mountain biking through the badlands of Utah. Taking it a step further, by teaming with partners such as Whistle Sports and Junkin Media, Nitro Circus can maximize its extensive library and find new opportunities for growth and exposure.

From its inception, Nitro Circus has strived to break boundaries and redefine what is possible. With media consumption continuing to evolve, particularly among Millennials, look for the Nitro team to stay on the cutting edge by creating more groundbreaking events and engaging content.

Andy Edwards, President of Nitro Circus is speaking at Host City 2018 on the subject of "Integrated Content Offerings: Connecting audiences, host cities and content through major events"