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 Emblem of the 2002 Winter Olympics[a] | |
| Host city | Salt Lake City, United States |
|---|---|
| Motto | Light the Fire Within |
| Nations | 78 |
| Athletes | 2,399 (1,513 men, 886 women) |
| Events | 78 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) |
| Opening | February 8, 2002 |
| Closing | February 24, 2002 |
| Opened by | |
| Cauldron | Members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, led by team captain Mike Eruzione |
| Stadium | Rice–Eccles Stadium |
Winter Summer
2002 Winter Paralympics | |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2002 Winter Olympics |
|---|
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (Arapaho: Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: Tit'-so-pi 2002; Navajo: Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: Soónkahni 2002), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from February 8 to 24, 2002, in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
Salt Lake City was selected as the host city in June 1995 at the 104th IOC Session. They were the eighth Olympics to be hosted by the United States, and the most recent to be held in the country until 2028, when Los Angeles will host the 34th Summer Olympics. The 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC), the first time that both events were organized by a single committee, and inspiring other Olympic and Paralympic Games to be organized by such since then.[1]
The Games featured 2,399 athletes from 78 nations, participating in 78 events in 15 disciplines. Norway topped the medal table, with 13 gold and 25 medals overall, while Germany finished with the most total medals, winning 36 (with 12 of them gold). The hosting United States was third by gold medals and second by overall medals, with 10 and 34 respectively. Australia notably became the first Southern Hemisphere country to ever win gold medals at the Winter Olympics.
The Games finished with a budgetary surplus of US$40 million; the surplus was used to fund the formation of the Utah Athletic Foundation—which has continued to maintain the facilities built for these Olympics. The venues have continued to be used for national and international winter sports events after the Olympics, while the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has backed the possibility of Salt Lake City bidding for a future Winter Olympics, notably the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Host city selection
Salt Lake City was chosen over Québec City, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Östersund, Sweden, on June 16, 1995, at the 104th IOC Session in Budapest, Hungary.[2] Salt Lake City had previously come in second during the bids for the 1998 Winter Olympics, awarded to Nagano, Japan, and had offered to be the provisional host of the 1976 Winter Olympics when the original host, Denver, Colorado, withdrew. The 1976 Winter Olympics were ultimately awarded to Innsbruck, Austria.
There was a scandal involving allegations of bribery used to win the rights to the Games. Prior to its successful bid, Salt Lake City had attempted four times to secure the games, failing each time. In 1998, members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were accused of taking gifts from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) during the bidding process. The allegations resulted in the expulsion of several IOC members and the adoption of new IOC rules. Although nothing strictly illegal had been done, it was felt that the acceptance of the gifts was morally dubious. In addition, legal charges were brought against the leaders of Salt Lake's bid committee by the United States Department of Justice.[3] Investigations were also launched into prior bidding process by other cities, finding that members of the IOC received bribes during the bidding process for both the 1998 Winter Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics.[4] In response to the scandal, Mitt Romney was hired as the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.[5]
| City | Country | Round 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City |  United States |
54 |
| Östersund |  Sweden |
14 |
| Sion |  Switzerland |
14 |
| Quebec City |  Canada |
7 |
Development and preparation
Torch relay
The torch relay ceremonially began on November 19, 2001, with the traditional kindling of an Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece.[7] On December 3, Greek skier Thanassis Tsailas lit the first torch from the cauldron, and transferred its flame to a ceremonial lantern for transport to Atlanta, where it arrived on December 4 to officially launch the U.S. leg of the relay.[8][9] The route of the relay covered 13,500 miles (21,700 km), passed through 300 communities and 46 U.S. states, and was carried by 12,012 torchbearers.[10]
The torch was modeled after an icicle, with a slight curve to represent speed and fluidity. The torch measures 33 inches (84 cm) long, 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide at the top, 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) at the bottom, and was designed by Axiom Design of Salt Lake City.[11][12] It was created with three sections, each with its own meaning and representation.[11]
Budget
In February 1999, in response to the bid scandal and a financial shortfall for the Games, Mitt Romney, then CEO of the private equity firm Bain Capital (and future U.S. presidential candidate, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Massachusetts), was hired as the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.[5] Romney, Kem C. Gardner, a Utah commercial real estate developer, and Don Stirling, the Olympics' local marketing chief, raised "millions of dollars from Mormon families with pioneer roots: the Eccles family, whose forebears were important industrialists and bankers" to help rescue the Games, according to a later report.[13] An additional US$410 million was received from the federal government.[14] U.S. federal subsidies amounted to $1.3 billion (for infrastructure improvements only), compared to $45 billion of federal funding received by the organizing committee of the 2014 Winter Olympics from the Russian government.[15][16] The Games were financially successful, raising more money with fewer sponsors than any prior Olympic Games, which left SLOC with a surplus of $40 million. The surplus was used to create the Utah Athletic Foundation, which maintains and operates many of the remaining Olympic venues.[17]
The Oxford Olympics Study established the outturn cost of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics at US$2.5 billion in 2015-dollars and cost overrun at 24% in real terms.[18] This includes sports-related costs only, that is, (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee to stage the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services, and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by the host city and country or private investors to build, e.g., the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, and media and press center, which are required to host the Games. Indirect capital costs are not included, such as for road, rail, or airport infrastructure, or for hotel upgrades or other business investment incurred in preparation for the Games but not directly related to staging the Games. The cost and cost overrun for Salt Lake City 2002 compares with costs of US$2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13% for Vancouver 2010, and costs of US$51 billion[15] and a cost overrun of 289% for Sochi 2014, the latter being the most costly Olympics to date. The average cost for Winter Games since 1960 is US$3.1 billion, average cost overrun is 142%.
Security
The 2002 Winter Games were the first Olympic Games to take place since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which meant a higher level of security than ever before provided for the Games. As a result, the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) designated the Olympics a National Special Security Event (NSSE). Aerial surveillance and radar control was provided by the U.S. Marines of Marine Air Control Squadron 2, Detachment C, from Cherry Point, North Carolina. The FBI and NSA arranged with Qwest Communications to use intercept equipment for a period of less than six months around the time of the 2002 Winter Olympics.[19]
When he spoke during the opening ceremonies, Jacques Rogge, presiding over his first Olympics as the IOC president, told the athletes of the United States:[20]
Your nation is overcoming a horrific tragedy, a tragedy that has affected the whole world. We stand united with you in the promotion of our common ideals and hope for world peace.
Venues
Work on venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics began as early as 1989, following the passing of a state referendum that authorized the use of taxpayer money to publicly fund the construction of new facilities for a Winter Olympics bid in 1998 or 2002. Their construction was overseen by the Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee and the Utah Sports Authority—a body created under the referendum.[21][22]
New facilities built for the Games included the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah Olympic Park in Summit County, The Ice Sheet at Ogden, and Soldier Hollow at the Wasatch Mountain State Park—the furthest competition venue from Salt Lake City.[23] The E Center in West Valley City[24] and the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo were also built with support from the SLOC, and co-hosted hockey.[25][26]
Delta Center hosted figure skating and short track speed skating; it was renamed Salt Lake Ice Center for the duration of the Games due to IOC sponsorship rules.[27] Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.[28] The Olympic Village was built at historic Fort Douglas, whose land had been acquired by the University of Utah to construct new residences. The SLOC provided funding to the project in exchange for its use during the Olympics.[29]
Main Street in Park City was converted into a pedestrian plaza during the Games, with festivities such as concerts, firework shows, and sponsor presences.[30][31] Medal presentations took place in downtown Salt Lake City; the stage for the ceremony featured the Hoberman Arch, an arch-shaped metal "curtain" designed by Chuck Hoberman.[32]
| Venue | Events | Gross capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Valley | Alpine skiing (slalom), freestyle skiing | 13,400 | [33] |
| E Center | Ice hockey | 10,500 | [34] |
| Park City Mountain Resort | Alpine skiing (giant slalom), snowboarding | 16,000 | [35] |
| Peaks Ice Arena | Ice hockey | 8,400 | [36] |
| Salt Lake Ice Center | Figure skating, short track speed skating | 17,500 | [34] |
| Snowbasin | Alpine skiing (combined, downhill, super-G) | 22,500 | [37] |
| Soldier Hollow | Biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing portion) | 15,200 | [38] |
| The Ice Sheet at Ogden | Curling | 2,000 | [39] |
| Utah Olympic Oval | Speed skating | 5,236 | [40] |
| Utah Olympic Park (bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track) |
Bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, Nordic combined (ski jumping portion), ski jumping | 18,100 (ski jumping) 15,000 (sliding track) |
[41] |
Transport
The largest public transport project completed for the Games was the TRAX light rail system, which first began operations ahead of the Games in 1999.[42][43]
To help reduce vehicle traffic to Soldier Hollow and provide a special experience for tourists, Heber Valley Railroad offered service to Wasatch Mountain State Park on steam locomotives during the Games. After arriving, passengers then embarked to Soldier Hollow on horse-drawn sleighs.[23][44]
The Games
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics was held at Rice–Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah on February 8, 2002. The facility was renovated and expanded for the Games.[28] The Games were officially opened by President George W. Bush, who was standing among the US athletes (previous heads of state opened the Games from an official box), while the Olympic cauldron was lit by members of the gold medal-winning U.S. men's ice hockey team from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York (as made famous by the "Miracle on Ice").[45]
In an acknowledgment of the September 11 attacks, the ceremony opened with the entrance of a damaged American flag recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, carried by an honor guard of police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York City Police Department, and firefighters from the New York City Fire Department, joined by athletes nominated by fellow members of the U.S. team. The flag was presented during the playing of the U.S. national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner", as performed by the Tabernacle Choir.[45][46][47][48]
The Olympic cauldron was designed to look like an icicle and was made of glass, allowing the fire to be seen burning within, reflecting the Games' slogan "Light the Fire Within" and an overarching "fire and ice" theme. The actual glass cauldron stands atop a twisting glass and steel support, is 12 feet (3.7 m) high, and the flame within burns at 900 °F (482 °C).[49] Together with its support, the cauldron stands 117 feet (36 m) tall and was made of 738 individual pieces of glass. Small jets send water down the glass sides of the cauldron to keep the glass and metal cooled (so they would not crack or melt) and give the effect of melting ice.[50] The cauldron was designed by WET Design of Los Angeles, its frame built by roller coaster manufacturer Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, Utah, and its glass pieces created by Western Glass of Ogden, Utah. The cauldron's cost was $2 million, and it was unveiled to the public when originally installed at Rice–Eccles Stadium on January 8, 2002.[51]
Production for the opening and closing ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen, and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters.[52]
Sports
Confirmed in 1997, this edition's sports program featured seven sports divided into 15 disciplines, totaling 78 events, an increase of 10 events over the 1998 Winter Olympics. Skeleton made its return to the Winter Olympic program for the first time since 1948, while a women's doubles event was contested for the first time in bobsleigh. A fourth distance was introduced in short track speed skating for men and women, and the pursuit events were added to biathlon and cross-country skiing. The sprint event was also added to the Nordic combined program.
- Biathlon
Biathlon (8) ()
- Bobsleigh
- Curling
Curling (2) ()
- Ice hockey
Ice hockey (2) ()
- Luge
Luge (3) ()
- Skating
Figure skating (4) ()
Short track speed skating (8) ()
Speed skating (10) ()
- Skiing
Alpine skiing (10) ()
Cross-country skiing (12) ()
Freestyle skiing (4) ()
Nordic combined (3) ()
Ski jumping (3) ()
Snowboarding (4) ()
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each separate discipline.
Participating National Olympic Committees
A total of 78 teams qualified at least one athlete to compete in the Games. Five NOCs made their Winter Olympic debut in Salt Lake, including Cameroon, Hong Kong, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Thailand.[53]
