Salt Lake 2002 Paralympics

From March 7 to 16, 2002, hundreds of elite athletes with disabilities came from around the world to compete in the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games, pushing themselves beyond their limits in demonstrations of grace, strength, and agility before the largest audiences in Paralympic history. The celebration opened with the Journey of Fire through Salt Lake City to the Opening Ceremony at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where performers including Stevie Wonder entertained, speakers who had overcome great obstacles addressed the crowd, and alpine skiers Chris Waddell and Muffy Davis lit the Paralympic Cauldron. Over the next 10 days, the theme of Mind, Body Spirit shaped competition across Utah’s ice, fields, and ski slopes. By the Closing Ceremony, Americans had won the most medals, with 43, followed by Germany and Norway, and nearly a quarter of a million spectators had watched the events before athletes and fans gathered for a final celebration and fireworks at Olympic Medals Plaza.

Salt Lake City, Utah · United States