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2002 Olympics

XIX Olympic Winter Games
2002 Winter Olympics logo.svg
The emblem combines a snow crystal and a sun rising over a mountain. The yellow, orange, and blue colors represent the varied Utah landscape.
Host city Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Motto Light The Fire Within
Nations participating 78
Athletes participating 2,399 (1,513 men, 886 women)
Events 78 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
Opening ceremony February 8
Closing ceremony February 24
Officially opened by President George W. Bush
Athlete's Oath Jim Shea
Judge's Oath Allen Church
Olympic Torch Members of the 1980 USA hockey team, led by team captain Mike Eruzione
Stadium Rice-Eccles Stadium
Winter:
Nagano 1998 Turin 2006  >
Summer:
Sydney 2000 Athens 2004  >
2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 8 to 24 February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout 165 sporting sessions. The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC). Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games, and the 2002 Winter Olympics are the most recent games to be held in the United States with the 2028 Summer Olympics tentatively scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. These were the first Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge.

The opening ceremony was held on February 8, 2002, and sporting competitions were held up until the closing ceremony on February 24, 2002. Production for both ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen, and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters. Salt Lake City became the most populous area ever to have hosted the Winter Olympics, although the two subsequent host cities' populations were larger. Following a trend, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were also larger than all prior Winter Games, with 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

The Salt Lake Games faced a bribery scandal and some local opposition during the bid, as well as some sporting and refereeing controversies during the competitions. Nevertheless, from sporting and business standpoints, this was one of the most successful Winter Olympiads in history; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs. Over 2 billion viewers watched more than 13 billion viewer-hours. The Games were also 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. U.S. Federal subsidies amounted to $1.3 billion.


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