2002 Winter Paralympics
| VIII Paralympic Winter Games |
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| Host city |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
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| Motto |
Mind, Body, Spirit |
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| Nations participating |
36 |
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| Athletes participating |
416 |
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| Events |
5 sports |
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| Opening ceremony |
March 7 |
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| Closing ceremony |
March 16 |
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| Officially opened by |
President George W. Bush |
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| Paralympic Torch |
Muffy Davis and Chris Waddell |
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| Paralympic Stadium |
Rice-Eccles Stadium |
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| Winter: |
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| Summer: |
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The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, 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, the People’s Republic of 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 times with 22 medals, 17 of them gold.[1]
Sports
The games consisted of four disciplines in three sports.[2]
Medal table
The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (United States) is highlighted.
| Rank |
Nation |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| 1 |  Germany | 17 | 1 | 15 | 33 |
| 2 |  United States | 10 | 22 | 11 | 43 |
| 3 |  Norway | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| 4 |  Austria | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
| 5 |  Russia | 7 | 9 | 5 | 21 |
| 6 |  Canada | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
| 7 |  Switzerland | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 8 |  Australia | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 |  Finland | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 |  New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Symbol and mascot of the 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.
Mascot Otto the otter
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. [3] After being nearly wiped out by pollution and overtrapping 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.
See also
References
External links
Alpine skiing
Sledge hockey
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