“The map is not the territory.”
The phrase reminds us that the plans we create, while helpful, can never truly replace the full complexity and nuance of real life. It’s like the difference between looking at a hiking app on your phone and being on a magnificent mountain trail. You must be “in the territory” to fully understand complex, dynamic and inspiring environments.
I thought about the difference between the map and the territory last week as I participated in the official Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Observers Program in Milan, Italy. A contingent of Utahns, many of whom are still there or arriving in the days ahead — along with peers from Los Angeles, the French Alps, and Brisbane — traveled to Italy as guests of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). We experienced Olympic “territory“ in an up-close and personal way.
As chair of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Board, my focus was on legacy — the enduring tangible and intangible contributions of the Winter Games. I have pages of notes, but here are a few themes I gleaned from the territory:
We represent the United States of America
The Olympics serve as a gathering of nations, not states or cities. When Utah hosts the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, above all else, we welcome the world as we represent our country. It’s an extraordinary honor.
And while there are many ways to express and deliver on our collective ideals, I know of no better inspiration than what the journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson calls the greatest sentence ever written: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Utah has the incredible opportunity to showcase these truths and what our nation stands for at a time of national and global need. We will be measured by how we meet this moment.
The earlier you start, the greater the impact and legacy
We have three more years than most hosts to prepare for the Games. This extra time provides more time to be visionary, strategic and thoughtful. The experts in Italy taught observers that impact and legacy require an expansive vision and far-reaching strategy. Doing vision and strategy right takes time. If you get them right — like Utah did in 2002 — we will create a powerful and positive living legacy.
Italy provides a great example of thoughtfulness. They chose ”armonia" as their theme. Armonia refers to harmony, mutual accommodation and peaceful coexistence between people or elements.
In the Opening Ceremony, they highlighted famous Italian composers, architecture, art, a fashion designer and other areas of harmony that contribute to our world. They often featured children in delivering their message. A highlight of my Observers’ training was a public school visit where I heard Italian schoolchildren describe the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. They, like our children, will be the torchbearers of the impact and legacy we plan.
Importance of continuity
I felt a strong impression about the importance of continuity in the professional staff in the lead-up to Utah’s Olympic Games. Utah benefits from the remarkable full-time leadership and staff in place right now. They offer the right mix of institutional memory from 2002 and fresh ideas for 2034. They are talented, dedicated, experienced, professional and well-connected. We need to keep these leaders in place through 2034.
I returned to Utah equipped with greater understanding, valuable contacts and real-life observations about how Utah can host exceptional Games with an enduring legacy. As I think about this legacy, my mind harkens back to the words shared by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in his opening remarks at the 25th Winter Olympiad. He quoted a famous aphorism, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, it’s the preservation of fire.”
Utah’s Olympic fire continues to burn bright.