Colin Hilton, president and CEO of Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and a committed advocate for sport and community, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. He was 58.
Hilton, who led the Olympic foundation for more than two decades, dedicated his life and career “to ensuring that the legacy of Utah’s 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games remained not only alive but thriving in the years that followed,” the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation said in a statement released Saturday.
The nonprofit Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation — created after the 2002 Winter Olympics to oversee the venues built for the Games — operates the Utah Olympic Park, the Utah Olympic Oval, and the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center that’s located in Wasatch Mountain State Park.
Hilton, who moved to Utah in 1999 to work with the Games, said the venues were never intended to serve just elite athletes, but also the communities where they were built. “These Olympic venues serve a variety of types of athletes,” he said in 2017. “There are a lot of hours in the day. … Our whole philosophy is all ages, all abilities.”
Hilton “believed the measure of these venues was not simply that they were preserved, but that they continued to be used by athletes, coaches, families and communities,” wrote the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation in their statement.
Brad Wilson, CEO of Utah 2034, said Hilton “gave decades of his life to Utah’s Olympic movement and helped turn the legacy of the 2002 Games into something that continues to serve athletes and communities everyday.”
Hilton’s leadership and stewardship for Utah’s “living Olympic legacy” benefited the entire state, said Natalie Gochnour, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Board chair. “He more than anyone else ensured that Utah’s Olympic imprint remained active, relevant, future-oriented and connected to the communities it serves,” she said.
Fraser Bullock, president and executive chair of Utah 2034, said Hilton played a key role in helping Utah win the bid for the 2034 Games. “But where he really excelled was in elevating our legacy and bringing real value to communities,” he said. “His legacy work is unparalleled in the world.”
Hilton also used his role to bring together national and international winter sports leaders, strengthening the Utah 2034 team and adding greater value to all sports, Bullock said.
In a post on social media, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams called Hilton a champion of Utah’s Olympic and Paralympic legacy. “Colin understood that the Olympic legacy is about inspiring future generations, supporting athletes and strengthening our communities.”
The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation did not release a cause of death.
Calum Clark, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation COO, has been appointed acting CEO and president by the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Board.