The , officially known as the '''XIX Olympic Winter Games''', were held in ,
Quebec ,
Canada ;
Sion ,
Switzerland ; and
Östersund ,
Sweden . Salt Lake City was selected as the host city during the
Summer of
1995 .
Prior to these Olympic Winter Games, a number of
IOC members were forced to resign after it was uncovered that they had accepted inappropriately valuable gifts in return for voting for Salt Lake City to hold the Games.
IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge and new CEO of the Salt Lake Games
Mitt Romney then staged the Games and contended with the public opinion backlash due to the
Scandal .
Also, in the first week the
Figure Skating competition resulted in the French judge's scores being thrown out and the Canadian team of
Jamie Salé and
David Pelletier being awarded a second gold medal. Athletes in short-track speed skating and cross-country skiing were disqualified for various reasons as well (including
Doping by two Russians in the cross-country skiing), leading Russia to file protests and threaten to withdraw from competition.
These Olympic games were the first since
September 11, 2001 , which meant a higher level of security than ever before provided for the Games. The
Office Of Homeland Security (OHS) designated the Olympics a
National Special Security Event (NSSE).
When he spoke during the opening ceremonies, Rogge, presiding over his first olympics as IOC president, told the athletes of the host country: "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."
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- During the opening ceremonies, just before the parade of nations, there was a segment honoring all Olympic Winter Games. {Link without Title}
- The Olympics marked the first time an American President opened a Winter Olympic games held in the United States.
- Competition highlights included biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen , winning gold in all four men's events (10 k, 12.5 k, 20 k, 4 x 7.5 relay), Simon Ammann of Switzerland taking the double in ski jumping, and alpine skier Janica Kostelić winning three golds and a silver (the first Winter Olympic medals ever for an athlete from Croatia ).
- Skeleton returned as a medal sport in the 2002 Games for the first time since 1948.
- A feature of these Games has been the emergence of the so-called "extreme" sports, such as snowboarding, moguls and aerials, which appeared in previous Olympic Winter Games but have captured greater public attention in recent years.
- China won its first and second Winter Olympic gold medals, both by women's short track speed skater Yang Yang (A) .
- One of the most memorable stories of the event occurred at the men's short track. Australian skater Steven Bradbury , a competitor who had won a bronze in 1994 as part of a relay team but well off the pace of the medal favourites, cruised off the pace in his semifinal only to see his competitors crash into each other, allowing him through to the final. Bradbury was again well off the pace, but lightning struck again and all four other competitors crashed out in the final, leaving a jubilant Bradbury to take the most unlikely of gold medals, the first for Australia – or any other country of the Southern Hemisphere – in the Olympic Winter Games.
(''Host nation is highlighted.'')
77 National Olympic Committees sent athletes to the Salt Lake City games.
See Also: 2002 Winter Olympics (Participating Nations)
