Two times three times three equals 18.
Easy, right?
Not when you stir alcohol into the equation. Then it becomes new math with a twist.
Organizations planning to serve liquor for the duration of the 2002 Winter Games must follow that seemingly simple yet initially frustrating formula to cover the 17-day event Feb. 8-24.
It means lining up three different sponsors to each ask the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for two three-day permits, thus 2x3x3=18 days of wine and spirits.
The rule is one of several quirky liquor laws state officials and others have to explain to out-of-towners making Olympic plans.
"There was a little bit of confusion," Tony Bermingham recalled of the first meeting with a Dutch group setting up the "Holland Heineken House" at the West Ridge Golf Course clubhouse in West Valley City.
Bermingham said it was "every bit as confusing" for a Colorado marketing agency hired to represent Heineken as well as the beer company itself, which has had hospitality suites at eight Olympics.
Still, countries coming in for the Games, DABC licensing and compliance manager Earl Dorius says, haven't had too much trouble understanding the hoops they must jump through to stock, sell and consume liquor at their hosting centers, once Utah laws are spelled out for them.
The Netherlands and Switzerland on Friday will be the first nations to go before the five-member state liquor commission seeking a series of "single-event" permits to sell alcoholic drinks or open their Olympic hosting centers to the public.
Dorius anticipates other countries will apply for permits over the next few months. But he estimated 90 percent will invoke the "wedding" exception, which does not require a permit for a privately hosted event provided alcohol isn't sold and the function is limited to specific invitees and their guests.
A private party, for example, could have an open bar for attendees but not a cash bar.
Utah law doesn't allow for a single-event license lasting longer than 72 hours, which an entity may obtain twice a year. But string a bunch of them together, and the party can go on for weeks.
To raise a glass from Olympic opening to closing ceremonies, a country must have all of its cold ducks in a row.
To wit, Switzerland.
The Swiss Olympic Association, Support Sport Switzerland, Swiss Ski and the Association Suisse De Bobsleigh, Tobogganing Et Skeleton are all requesting two permits apiece starting Feb. 6 and ending Feb. 29, a total of 24 days.
Together, they become the "House of Switzerland," which plans to take over a restaurant and neighboring private club on Market Street in downtown Salt Lake City.
Dorius anticipates the commission granting the $100 permits without a hitch. He called the approval process "pretty pro forma."
"There really aren't a lot of issues with single-event permits," he said.
So why a stack of permits rather than just one for the entire Games period?
Only the enigmatic Utah Legislature knows the answer. Lawmakers enacted the single-event permit law in 1985. "They wanted some mechanism for these single events ranging from the governor's ball on down," Dorius said.
They settled on the limits figuring it would take care of most situations.
"Back in '85 I would guess it did," he said. "They didn't think you'd have a 17-day event."
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com