2002 Winter Olympics Bring Utahns Together

2002 Winter Olympics Bring Utahns Together

Utah's snowy peaks and valleys became the stage for athletes from around the world during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake. But the Games were much more than a sporting competition.

For 17 days at the dawn of a new millennium, 3.5 billion people paused to watch the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. As the Olympic torch relayed its way across the country and through 45 Utah communities on its journey to Olympic Stadium, Salt Lake prepared to host 2,400 athletes from 77 nations. While these Winter Olympics were billed as the Salt Lake City Games, they were a source of pride and identity for Utahns across the state.

To greet the athletes, organizers built or upgraded ice rings, fast tracks, and powdery slopes. From the moguls at Deer Valley to the nordic trails at Soldier Hollow, competition venues were constructed with unparalleled attention to international sporting standards. There were frightening pitches – like the 74-degree drop at the start of Snowbasin’s downhill – and dizzying heights – like the 7,350 feet at the ski jumps at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. 

True to form, Utahns who volunteered for the Games worked tirelessly behind the scenes and as front-line ambassadors. They woke in the dark to shovel sidewalks, prepare meals, and transport athletes. They fielded questions, gave directions, and managed the crowds that flooded their small towns.

Due to Utah's long legacy of mining, the gold, silver, and bronze medals were the first to be mined, crafted, and awarded within miles of the venues where they were won. Many of the souvenir pins showcased Utah culture, depicting everything from Delicate Arch and Native American pottery, to cowboy boots and minivans, and of course, green jello and fry sauce. 

Utah identity was also on show at the opening and closing ceremonies. Leaders from the Ute, Shoshone, Goshute, Paiute, and Navajo nations greeted athletes in their own language. The Golden Spike was represented, while giant dinosaurs loomed over the stadium in a nod to rural Utah’s fossil tourism. Performers even unfurled a giant pioneer-style quilt across the stadium floor depicting the Olympic rings. 

When the Winter Games were over, Utahns were left with two important legacies: world-class sporting venues where international athletes still train to this day, and a remarkable experience of pride and unity.

By Alf Engen Ski Museum © 2024

Image: Ski Jump Competition, Utah Olympic Park, Park City. The 2002 Winter Olympics created an expansive festival radiating outward from Salt Lake City into once-quiet rural Utah spaces and left lasting infrastructure that will be used again when Utah hosts the 2034 Winter Olympics. Today, the 2002 Games are commemorated in the Alf Engen Ski Museum at Utah Olympic Park. Image courtesy Governor Michael Leavitt Olympic Photograph Collection, Utah Historical Society.
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See John Huet, The Fire Within: Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Official Commemorative Book (Salt Lake Olympic Committee, 2002); Tom Smart, 2002 Salt Lake City: Memorable Photographs and Stories from the Games of 2002 (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News, 2002); Stuart Johnson, “Look Back: 2002 Olympics Opening Ceremony,” February 13, 2024, Powwows.com, accessed May 2024.

The Beehive Archive is a production of Utah Humanities. This episode of The Beehive Archive was contributed by Alf Engen Ski Museum. Find sources and the whole collection of past episodes at www.utahhumanities.org/stories.

2024-12-23