2002 Winter Paralympics

The opening ceremony was held on 7 March 2002 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with more than 40,000 spectators. Muffy Davis and Chris Waddell jointly lit the Paralympic cauldron.{{cite web |title=Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic Winter Games |url=https://www.paralympic.org/salt-lake-city-2002 |website=International Paralympic Committee |access-date=22 February 2022}}

The closing ceremony with more than 25.000 tickets sold was held on 16 March 2002 at the Olympic Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

The games consisted of four disciplines in three sports, with 92 medal events in total.{{cite web |title=Salt Lake 2002 – General Information |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |date=2008 |url=http://www.paralympic.org/Paralympic_Games/Past_Games/Salt_Lake_City_2002/ |access-date=12 July 2011 }}

• 20px{{GamesSport|Alpine skiing|Events=53|Image=No}}
• 20px{{GamesSport|Biathlon|Events=6|Image=No}}
• 20px{{GamesSport|Cross-country skiing|Events=32|Image=No}}
• 20px{{GamesSport|Ice sledge hockey|Events=1|Image=No}}

In total 5 venues were used at the 2002 Winter Olympics around 4 cities and towns.{{cite web|url=http://saltlake2002.paralympic.org/ |title=Schedule |access-date=29 October 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041211120909/http://saltlake2002.paralympic.org/ |archive-date=11 December 2004 }}

• Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium – opening ceremonies
• 2002 Olympic Medals Plaza – closing ceremonies

• Snowbasin: Alpine skiing

• Soldier Hollow: Biathlon and Cross-Country

• E Center: Ice sledge hockey

{{Main|2002 Winter Paralympics medal table}}

The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (United States) is highlighted.

{{Medals table

| caption =

| host =

| flag_template = flagIPC

| event = 2002 Winter

| team =

| gold_GER = 17 | silver_GER = 1 | bronze_GER = 15

| gold_USA = 10 | silver_USA = 22 | bronze_USA = 11 | host_USA = yes

| gold_NOR = 10 | silver_NOR = 3 | bronze_NOR = 6

| gold_AUT = 9 | silver_AUT = 10 | bronze_AUT = 10

| gold_RUS = 7 | silver_RUS = 9 | bronze_RUS = 5

| gold_CAN = 6 | silver_CAN = 4 | bronze_CAN = 5

| gold_SUI = 6 | silver_SUI = 4 | bronze_SUI = 2

| gold_AUS = 6 | silver_AUS = 1 | bronze_AUS = 0

| gold_FIN = 4 | silver_FIN = 1 | bronze_FIN = 3

| gold_NZL = 4 | silver_NZL = 0 | bronze_NZL = 2

}}

36 nations qualified athletes for the games. Six countries:Andorra, Chile, China, Croatia, Greece and Hungary all made their debut appearances. Slovenia was the only nation who did not send a delegation after having participated in the previous games.

The logo of the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games is made up of three distinct marks. The sphere on the top represents the head of the Paralympic athlete and also symbolizes the global unity of the Paralympic Movement. Two broad fluid lines represent the athlete in motion. The three taegeuks beneath the athlete reproduce the green, red and blue marks on the Paralympic Flag.

File:Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Mascot.svg

{{Main|Powder, Copper, Coal and Otto}}

The mascot for the Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City 2002 was Otto the otter. Indigenous peoples of the Americas consider otters to be fast swimmers, though in some stories a bit of a show-off.Erdoes, Richard and Ortiz, Alfonso. American Indian Myths and Legends. p. 312 After being nearly wiped out by pollution and over-trapping the river otter has been reintroduced to Utah and can be seen along the banks of the Green River and near Flaming Gorge. The otter was chosen as the official mascot of the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games because he embodies vitality and agility, and represents the spirit of every Paralympian.{{cite news |title=Mascots are Coal, Powder, Copper |author=Jerry Spangler |newspaper=Deseret News |date=26 September 1999 |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/9/26/19467646/mascots-are-coal-powder-copper/ |access-date=31 October 2010}}{{cite book |title=Reach: An Educators Guide to the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 |last=Salt Lake Organizing Committee |year=2001 |pages=15–17 |url=http://www.uen.org/k12educator/reach/downloads/Trad1-20.pdf |access-date=31 October 2010 |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126232708/https://www.uen.org/k12educator/reach/downloads/Trad1-20.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |title=Reach: An Educators Guide to the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 |last=Salt Lake Organizing Committee |year=2001 |pages=74–77 |url=https://www.uen.org/k12educator/reach/downloads/74-77.pdf |access-date=31 October 2010 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020085636/https://www.uen.org/k12educator/reach/downloads/74-77.pdf |url-status=dead }}

{{Portal|Sports}}

• 2002 Winter Olympics
• 2007 Winter Deaflympics

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100605042933/http://saltlake2002.paralympic.org/ Official site]
• [http://www.paralympic.org International Paralympic Committee]
• [http://www.oppetarkiv.se/etikett/titel/Paralympics/ Paralympics at SVT's open archive (including the 2002 event)] {{in lang|sv}}

{{s-start}}

{{succession box

| title = Winter Paralympics
Salt Lake City

| before = Nagano

| after = Turin

| years = VIII Paralympic Winter Games (2002)

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Paralympic Games}}

{{Authority control}}

Paralympics

Paralympics

Category:Sports competitions in Salt Lake City

Category:Winter Paralympic Games by year

Category:2002 in sports in Utah

Category:Winter multi-sport events in the United States

Category:2000s in Salt Lake City

Category:March 2002 sports events in the United States