2002 Winter Olympics

This image of downtown Salt Lake City was taken during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Photograph by Chris Lewis, Utah Governor's Office.

In February 2002, Utah had the world’s attention. Salt Lake City hosted over 2,400 athletes from 78 different nations for the XIX Olympic Winter Games. While the athletes were undoubtedly the stars of the Olympic games, Utahns recognized they were welcoming the world to their home.

Utahns knew that hosting the Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There was a lot of excitement leading up to the games and more than 70,000 people applied to volunteer, although only 23,000 positions were available. A week before the games, spectators in towns across the state gathered to see runners carry the Olympic flame through their streets. Elementary school students held assemblies celebrating the Olympics’ theme, “Light the Fire Within.” Viewers watched more than 13 billion hours of television coverage. The Opening Ceremonies celebrated the history of Utah and the American West, and introduced over 2 billion households to Utah’s unique landscape.

Pin Collecting

Collecting official Olympic pins was the most popular way for everyone to join the fun. Participating countries and corporate sponsors brought countless boxes to the games to share. and collectors purchased officially licensed pins with designs unique to the host city. Some pins were produced in small numbers, making them rare to find (and expensive!). Collectors wore lanyards and hats filled with their pins, which opened up conversations with other collectors who might want to trade.

Souvenir pin from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The pin is a replica of two bottles of canned goods. One is labeled, "Beets," and the other is labeled with the official Olympic logo.

“Mind, Body, Spirit” was the motto for the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games, which took place March 7 -16. These Eighth Winter Paralympics saw over 400 athletes from 36 nations compete. Otto, the paralympic mascot, represented agility and vitality.

The pin shows a replica of a yellow bowl full with cubes of carrot-filled green Jell-O. This pin is only one of several infamous green Jell-O pins bought, sold, and traded during the 2002 Winter Games by zealous pin collectors.

The pin shows two french fries in a small cup of official Olympic logo fry sauce.

This pin titled, "Discover Public Lands," was made as the souvenir pin for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

This pin is a replica of a Ziploc bag full of cheerios, a popular Utah church snack for children.

The pin is a blue cutout of the state of Utah. It shows a dutch oven cooking over some coals and the text, "Camping Dutch Oven Style," in a horseshoe below it.

The pin is a replica of a gold "Utah" beehive surrounded by honeybees.

The pin has been cut into the shape of a cowboy boot and has been painted to look like an American flag.

The nation was in mourning from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and when the Olympics were held five months later, the games provided an opportunity for healing.

Traveling to Olympic venues required an update to Utah’s transportation system. The Utah Transit Authority’s new TRAX lines shuttles spectators and athletes around downtown Salt Lake City, and between Salt Lake City and Sandy.

PIN_2002_SALT_LAKE_WINTER_GAMES_SEAGULL (1).jpg

The pin is of a seagull and the Wasatch Mountains attached to the official Olympic logo and the word, "Utah."

These three pins depict the official Olympic mascots Powder (rabbit), Copper (coyote), and Coal (bear) riding in mining cars full of their respective namesake's natural resources.

The pin shows an orange and yellow replica of a Bryce Canyon pillar. A black ring and the words, "Bryce Canyon" surround the pillar.

A chocolate marshmallow milk shake in a red, white, and blue paper cup, resembling the shakes from Iceberg, a Utah business. The official Olympic logo is on the front of the cup.

The pin is a replica of three wrapped pieces (blue, pink, and yellow) of saltwater taffy at the bottom of a brown cutout of the state of Utah. The text, "Where There's Salt, There's Salt Water Taffy," is written on the pin, next to the official Olympic logo.

Analyze

Below, you'll see a selection of Olympic pins from the collection at the Utah State Historical Society. For each pin, answer these questions:

Describe what you see in this pin. What is its subject?
Why do you think this subject was selected for a pin?
Is this image unique to Utah? Why or why not?

What Do You Think?

How was Utah presented to the rest of the world? Do you think this presentation was accurate?
Do you see anything missing? What histories are represented here, and do you think any histories were not included?

Activity

If the Winter Olympics were held today, what would you want to share about Utah with the world? Design a pin that shares your family’s or your community’s history.

Sources

Lee Davidson, “Old Secrets Emerge: After 9/11 Attacks, 2002 Olympics Considered Banning Spectators; Many Countries Balked at Sending Athletes,” Salt Lake Tribune, September 16, 2008.

Terry Gildea, Andrea Smardon, and Dan Bammes, “Utah’s Olympic Legacy: The Impact of the 2002 Winter Games,” KUER.

“Inside the Crazy World of Olympic Pin Trading,” Wired, July 8, 2016.

International Olympic Committee. Salt Lake 2002

Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, “Olympics in Salt Lake City.”