Australia competed at the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States from 8 March to 19 March 2002. The Salt Lake Paralympics are the eighth such winter games, the first Winter Paralympics ever in North America and the first Winter Paralympics ever set up by an Olympic organizing committee. Although many of the Paralympic expenses were covered by dual planning with the Olympics, organizers still spent about $60 million on the Paralympics, including $5 million on the opening and closing ceremonies. The Salt Lake Games featured 92 events across four sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country, and ice sledge hockey. The 36 competing countries sent a total of 416 participants (329 men and 87 women). Australia was represented by six male alpine skiers: Peter Boonaerts, Bart Bunting, Michael Milton, Scott Adams, Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, and Mark Drinnan. The medal haul was seven, consisting of six gold and one silver. Australia finished 8th overall in the gold and total medal count, making it the country's most successful Winter Games in terms of gold medals.
Notable Australian performances were: Michael Milton had a clean sweep, winning gold in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom. Bart Bunting, a vision-impaired skier guided by Nathan Chivers, won gold in the downhill and super-G, and silver in the giant slalom.
Background Australia has competed in every Winter Paralympics since its inception in 1976, but the 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympics are considered to be the Games that amassed a huge number of new fans and increased overall crowd attendance for Paralympic winter sports. Salt Lake 2002 was also the first organizing committee to completely integrate the planning for both the Olympics and Paralympics, lowering costs and using the same infrastructure for both Games. "The Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic Winter Games were truly an event to remember," said International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Xavier Gonzalez, previously Managing Director of Paralympics for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.
"With such a high demand for tickets and a swarm of accredited media around the venues, the winter spectacle pushed the Paralympic Movement to new heights and created further awareness for athletes with a disability in sport, as well as in society. It was also fantastic to see the Salt Lake Organizing Committee fully integrate the organization of the Paralympics with the Olympics." + Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympics Summary Host citySalt Lake City, Utah MottoMind, Body, Spirit Nations participating36 Athletes participating416 Australian athletes6 Events4 Opening ceremonyMarch 7 Closing ceremonyMarch 16 Officially opened byPresident George W. Bush Paralympic stadiumRice-Eccles Stadium
Attendance and coverage A high ticket demand resulted in the total number being raised from 225,000 to 248,000.
A total of 836 media representatives from more than 30 broadcasters were accredited for the Salt Lake Paralympics, with several international broadcasting associations offering viewers highlight packages following the Games. However, there has been criticism of the drastically different amounts of coverage on the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and Paralympics. One particular study from Brigham Young University found that the 2,399 athletes competing in the 2002 Olympic Games were covered by 9,000 accredited media personnel, giving a ratio of 3.75 media persons for each able-bodied athlete. The Paralympic Games, on the other hand, were covered by only 700 accredited media personnel, a ratio of merely 1.66 media persons to each disabled athlete.
+Comparison of Olympic and Paralympic Articles Published By Well-known American Newspapers (02/01/02 to 03/18/02)NewspaperOlympic ArticlesParalympic ArticlesUSA Today6115The New York Times3875The Los Angeles Times5330The Washington Post3062The New York Daily News2780The Houston Chronicle4461
The study also analysed the themes and underlying representations surrounding the dissimilarity in coverage of the Paralympics by interviewing selected media personnel who only attended the Olympics. The interviews revealed that the lack of coverage of the Paralympics was influenced by the media's feeling that they did not constitute a real competition, logistical issues, and a perception that the event lacked audience appeal. Interviews conducted with selected Paralympic media personnel, however, found that their coverage of the event was influenced by their belief that the Paralympics held audience appeal, their desire to raise disability awareness, their acquaintance with effective National Paralympic Committee public relations campaigns, and previous involvement with the Paralympics.
Opening and closing ceremonies On March 7, 2002, the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games officially began with the opening ceremony at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium to a sold-out audience of 46,000. The opening ceremony was based on the theme, "Awaken the Mind – Free the Body – Inspire the Spirit" and featured a cast of nearly 1,000 members, including 'snow spirits' and 'children of light'. Among the performers were Wynonna, Donny Osmond, pop-classical violinist Vanessa-Mae, country singer Billy Gilman and Stevie Wonder. The Paralympic torch was carried to the podium by the first blind man to climb Mount Everest, Erik Weihenmayer. Eric was guided by his dog as he ascended the podium, passing the torch on to two of America's best sit-skiiters – Chris Waddell and Muffy Davis, who together lit the Paralympic cauldron. At the commencement of the Games, President George W. Bush saluted the Paralympians: "Every athlete at these games will demonstrate that we are limited only by the size of our own dreams, and that desire and courage can overcome any obstacle life may bring you," he said.
Nine days later, on March 16, the Olympic Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City staged the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic closing ceremony, a tribute highlighted by Paralympic skier Lacey Heward joining superstar Patti LaBelle for a rendition of "Lady Marmalade." More than 20,000 fans gathered to say goodbye and honour the thousands of volunteers who made the Salt Lake Paralympics a reality.
Torch relay From March 1 to 7, Salt Lake 2002 staged a 'Journey of Fire' to share the spirit of the Paralympic Winter Games with the community. The torch was carried by 100 runners across 15 cities in Utah, and in each city ceremonies were held at Paralympic cauldrons — with Brazilian singers, volunteer firefighters and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir joining the tributes — before the 15 flames were brought together to create a single Paralympic flame in a special celebration on March 6. The following day, runners from age 7 to 96 participated in the Flame Run before it arrived at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.
"At the most pure level, the Olympics and the Paralympics are about the same thing," said U.S. alpine skier Chris Waddell. "We as Paralympians experience the same kind of sacrifice, the same kind of commitment to our sport and the same kind of hope that the Olympics is all about. It's just about trying to do something great."
Symbol and mascot 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.
The mascot for the Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City 2002 was Otto the otter. Nearly wiped out by over-trapping and environmental damage, Utah's river otters were successfully reintroduced to the Green River and other areas following the Salt Lake Paralympics. Considered by ancient Indian tribes to be one of the most powerful of all animals, the otter was chosen as the mascot of the Salt Lake Paralympics as an embodiment of vitality and agility, and a representation of each Paralympian's spirit.
Disability groups Disabled athletes competing at both the summer and winter Paralympics games are classified as coming from one of six disability groups: Cerebral Palsy: Athletes who have brain damage – from a stroke, head accident or similar condition – that results in a number of impaired physiological functions, including difficulties with co-ordination and balance, muscle control, and motor skills. Amputee: Athletes who have partially or completely lost at least one limb. Vision-Impaired: Athletes who have vision-related impairments ranging from some sight (partial vision) to complete blindness (legally blind). Intellectual Disability: Athletes who are limited in intellectual, social, and behavioral functioning. This category of athletes was banned from the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games after the incident that took place at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, in which the majority of the Spanish intellectual disability basketball team were found to not be disabled in any way. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has since pushed for stricter criteria in the classification of intellectually disabled athletes. Wheelchair: Athletes who have varying spinal impairments and spinal cord injuries. To classify in this category, an athlete's lower limbs must have a loss of function of at least 10 per cent. Les Autres: This category is French for "the others" and includes all other athletes who do not clearly fit into one of the above categories. Athletes in this category can have a range of physiological impairments including loss of particular physical functions or specific mobility problems that stem from disabilities like multiple sclerosis and dwarfism, or congenital deformities.
Team
Peter Boonaerts Peter Boonaerts (born 21 September 1968 in New Zealand) was a sales representative who grew up in Manly, Sydney. Boonaerts has a low degree of paraplegia; he broke his back at a hotel in Manly when a drunk guest fell from the pub balcony on top of him. His sporting journey begun after he was inspired by a magazine article on disabled skiing, leading him to contact the NSW Sports Council for the Disabled to ask how he could get involved. He first represented Australia in 1999, but his first medal was a bronze in slalom at the Switzerland 2000 World Championships, and at these championships he also finished 4th in the super-G and 6th in the downhill. Although Boonaerts classifies as a wheelchair athlete, he is known as a 'sit skier' during competition.
Bartholomew (Bart) Bunting Bart Bunting (born 17 July 1976 in Australia) was a computer programmer who grew up in Chippendale, Sydney. He was born with congenital blindness, meaning that he has not even the slightest degree of vision. His skiing career began in 1998 when he participated in a "tryout camp" for disabled people. Although initially struggling on the mountains, Bunting became an Australian national team member in 1999, and in 2000 he won his first gold medal in the giant slalom and downhill events at the Switzerland 2000 World Championships. Athletes in Bunting's disability class use only sound to navigate their course. Bunting's best friend and guide Nathan Chivers skis a couple of meters ahead of him, speaking to him through the microphone in his helmet and the loudspeaker on the back of his bum bag. Bunting must move according to Nathan's instructions, making the communication and trust between them vitally important. Because of his achievements at the Salt Lake Games, he earned the honor of carrying the Australian flag during the closing ceremony.
Michael Milton