2002 Winter Paralympics


The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, United States, from March 7 to 16, 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.

Sports

The games consisted of four disciplines in three sports.
In total 5 venues were used at the 2002 Winter Olympics around 4 cities and towns.

[Salt Lake City]

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

Participating nations

Thirty six nations participated in the 2002 Winter Paralympics. Andorra, Chile, China, Croatia, Greece and Hungary all made their debut appearances. Slovenia missed out of the 2002 Winter Games.

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 taegeuks beneath the athlete reproduce the green, red and blue marks on the Paralympic Flag.

Mascot

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. 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.