As Salt Lake City and Utah receive word on hosting an Olympic Winter Games in 2034, 11 years from now, Utahns reflect on 21 years ago when the state was originally on the world stage, hosting the Winter Games in February 2002.
Salt Lake Tribune photographers spent long hours attending and documenting each event during the 17 days of the Games. Scroll down to see some of The Tribune’s best work from 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Olympic torch relay arrives on Main Street in Manti on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2002, with torchbearer Leonard Moon. The relay crisscrossed the state in the weeks prior to the start of the Games.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Native Americans representing the five tribes in Utah during their Opening Ceremony performance at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Feb. 8, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The 1980 USA hockey team lit the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 8.
(Danny La | The Salt Lake Tribune) The colorful suit of South Korea's Sang-Yeop Yeo blurs by during the men's speed skating 1500 meter at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) United States' Todd Lodwick flies over the Olympic rings in the final round of the nordic combined K90 ski jump portion of the competition.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) German Albert Karsten in the first run of men's luge at the Utah Olympic Park.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Spectators watch the men's K120 ski jump at the Utah Olympic Park on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Photographers from around the world at the men's figure skating free skate competition at the Salt Lake Ice Center, renamed from the Delta Center during the Games, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) United States gold medalists Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers celebrate their track record first run at the Utah Olympic Park.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Norway celebrate besting Italy in the tight finish at the men's cross-country skiing 4x10k relay competition at Soldier Hollow on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2002.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Following a judging scandal, figure skating pairs co-gold medalists, Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, left, and Russia's Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze shared the top tier of the podium Sunday night, Feb. 17, 2002 at the Salt Lake Ice Center as the Canadian pair received their gold medals, six days after the pairs competition ended.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Photographers under the jump at the K120 Team ski jump competition at the Utah Olympic Park, 2002 Olympic Winter Games on Monday, Feb. 18, 2002.
(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) The field of the biathlon men's 4x7.5k relay come and go during a brief snowstorm at Soldier Hollow, Feb. 20, 2002.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Korea's Kim Dong-sung is disqualified for an illegal move over United States' Apolo Anton Ohno during the short track speed skating men's 1500m heat at the Salt Lake Ice Center during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Feb. 20, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) United States' Tristan Gale reacts after winning women's skeleton at the Utah Olympic Park on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Students watch the men's K120 nordic combined ski jump competition at the Utah Olympic Park on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Canadian fans cheer at the gold medal hockey game at the E Center (now called the Maverik Center), defeating the United States on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2002.
(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Flags of the participating nations circle the stadium during the Closing Ceremony at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Feb. 24, 2002.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) Fireworks explode above the Closing Ceremony at Rice-Eccles Stadium, signaling the end of the Salt Lake Winter Games.
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