View source for 2002 Winter Paralympics

{{Short description|Multi-parasport event in Salt Lake City, Utah, US}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox Olympic games|2002|Winter|Paralympics|
| image       = 2002 Winter Paralympics Logo.svg
| image_size  = 150
| host_city   = [[Salt Lake City]], United States
| motto       = "Awaken the Mind – Free the Body – Inspire the Spirit”
| nations     = 36
| athletes    = 416
| events      = 92 in 4 [[Paralympic sports|sports]]
| opening     = 7 March 2002
| closing     = 16 March 2002
| opened_by   = [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]]
| closed_by  = [[President of the International Paralympic Committee|IPC President]] [[Philip Craven]]
| cauldron    = [[Muffy Davis]]<br />[[Chris Waddell]]
| stadium     = [[Rice-Eccles Stadium]]
| winter_prev = [[1998 Winter Paralympics|Nagano 1998]]
| winter_next = [[2006 Winter Paralympics|Turin 2006]]
| summer_prev = [[2000 Summer Paralympics|Sydney 2000]]
| summer_next = [[2004 Summer Paralympics|Athens 2004]]
}}
The '''2002 Winter Paralympics''', the eighth [[Paralympic Winter Games]], were held in [[Salt Lake City]], Utah, United States, from 7 to 16 March 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated. They were the first Winter Paralympics in the American continent.
These were the first Paralympic Winter Games for Andorra, Chile, China, Croatia, Greece, and Hungary. [[Ragnhild Myklebust]] of Norway won five gold medals in skiing and biathlon, becoming the most successful Winter Paralympic athlete of all time with 22 medals, 17 of them gold.<ref>[http://www.vancouver2010.com/fr/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/2007/12/13/76537_0712131208-140 "Possibilité de médaille d’or : Vancouver 2010 annonce la recherche d’un concepteur pour les médailles olympiques et paralympiques"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912145400/http://www.vancouver2010.com/fr/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/2007/12/13/76537_0712131208-140 |date=12 September 2008 }}, official website of the 2010 Vancouver Games, 13 December 2007</ref>

==Opening ceremony==
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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Closing ceremony==
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}}

==Sports==
The games consisted of four disciplines in three sports, with 92 medal events in total.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*[[File:Alpine skiing - Paralympic pictogram.svg|20px]]{{GamesSport|Alpine skiing|Events=53|Image=No}}
*[[File:Biathlon - Paralympic pictogram.svg|20px]]{{GamesSport|Biathlon|Events=6|Image=No}}
*[[File:Cross-country skiing - Paralympic pictogram.svg|20px]]{{GamesSport|Cross-country skiing|Events=32|Image=No}}
*[[File:Ice sledge hockey - Paralympic pictogram.svg|20px]]{{GamesSport|Ice sledge hockey|Events=1|Image=No}}

== Venues ==
In total 5 venues were used at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] around 4 cities and towns.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

===Salt Lake City===
*[[Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium]] – opening ceremonies
*2002 Olympic Medals Plaza – closing ceremonies

===Weber County, Utah===
*[[Snowbasin]]: Alpine skiing

===Wasatch County, Utah===
*[[Soldier Hollow]]: Biathlon and Cross-Country

===West Valley City, Utah===
*[[E Center]]: Ice sledge hockey

==Medal table==
{{Main|2002 Winter Paralympics medal table}}
The top 10 [[National Paralympic Committee|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
}}

==Participating National Paralympics Committees==
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.

{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Participating [[:Category:Nations at the 2002 Winter Paralympics|National Paralympic Committees]]
|-
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagIPC|AND|2002 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIPC|ARM|2002 Winter|6}}
*{{flagIPC|AUS|2002 Winter|6}}
*{{flagIPC|AUT|2002 Winter|22}}
*{{flagIPC|BLR|2002 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIPC|BUL|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|CAN|2002 Winter|27}}
*{{flagIPC|CHI|2002 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIPC|CHN|2002 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIPC|CRO|2002 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIPC|CZE|2002 Winter|6}}
*{{flagIPC|DEN|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|EST|2002 Winter|13}}
*{{flagIPC|FIN|2002 Winter|14}}
*{{flagIPC|FRA|2002 Winter|18}}
*{{flagIPC|GER|2002 Winter|26}}
*{{flagIPC|GBR|2002 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIPC|GRE|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|HUN|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|IRI|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|ITA|2002 Winter|13}}
*{{flagIPC|JPN|2002 Winter|36}}
*{{flagIPC|KAZ|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|NED|2002 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIPC|NZL|2002 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIPC|NOR|2002 Winter|27}}
*{{flagIPC|POL|2002 Winter|14}}
*{{flagIPC|RUS|2002 Winter|26}}
*{{flagIPC|SVK|2002 Winter|14}}
*{{flagIPC|RSA|2002 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIPC|KOR|2002 Winter|6}}
*{{flagIPC|ESP|2002 Winter|8}}
*{{flagIPC|SWE|2002 Winter|19}}
*{{flagIPC|SUI|2002 Winter|18}}
*{{flagIPC|UKR|2002 Winter|10}}
*{{flagIPC|USA|2002 Winter|57}}
{{div col end}}
|}

==Symbol and mascot of the games==

===Paralympic Emblem===
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 [[taegeuk]]s beneath the athlete reproduce the green, red and blue marks on the Paralympic Flag.

[[File:Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Mascot.svg|right|thumb|Otto<br />2002 Paralympic Mascot]]

===Mascot===
{{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.<ref>Erdoes, Richard and Ortiz, Alfonso. ''American Indian Myths and Legends.'' p. 312</ref> 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 (Colorado River)|Green River]] and near [[Flaming Gorge Reservoir|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.<ref name="DN_names_announced">{{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}}</ref><ref name="UEN_reach">{{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 }}</ref><ref name="UEN_reach_Para">{{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 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Sports}}
* [[2002 Winter Olympics]]
* [[2007 Winter Deaflympics]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[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 Paralympic Games|Winter Paralympics]]'' <br /> [[Salt Lake City]]
| before = [[1998 Winter Paralympics|Nagano]]
| after = [[2006 Winter Paralympics|Turin]]
| years = ''VIII Paralympic Winter Games'' (2002)
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Paralympic Games}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2002 Winter Paralympics| ]]
[[Category:2002 in multi-sport events|Paralympics]]
[[Category:International sports competitions hosted by the United States|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]]
[[Category:History of Salt Lake City]]