WinterSports2002.com, Sunday, March 17, 2002

Goodbye to the Games

By Lisa Riley Roche
Deseret News staff writer

Now it's really over!

Utah's month-plus of welcoming the world came to a dazzling, fireworks-punctuated conclusion in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday night with the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games.

They were, said the president of the International Paralympic Committee, the best such event ever for disabled athletes.

"What a blast we've had here in Salt Lake City," IPC President Phil Craven said, thanking the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and the people of Utah.

"Your spirit and dedication, your friendliness and hospitality, your tireless efforts and harmonious cooperation made these Paralympic Winter Games the best ever.

"The Games will end tonight, but the spirit will travel on."

The closing ceremonies, like the rest of the Games for the disabled, were smaller than those for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games that concluded Feb. 24 — but the competitors and spectators were no less enthusiastic.

Athletes, volunteers for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and spectators filled the Olympic Medals Plaza downtown and cheered throughout the 1 1/2-hour show, which ended with a display of fireworks launched from downtown buildings.

"Phenomenal" was the word SLOC President Mitt Romney used to describe the more than 400 Paralympians from 36 countries who competed in the Games.

"Paralympians, we saw in you the strength of mind, body and spirit that it takes to be a champion," Romney said.

The SLOC boss also praised the thousands of volunteers who did everything from driving athletes to their competitions to preparing the courses at Snowbasin and Soldier Hollow.

"Paralympians, volunteers, Salt Lake City, you are the greatest!" Romney said in his last public appearance before he returns home to Massachusetts on Sunday.

"We'd do it again in a Salt Lake minute," volunteer Kathy Jo Bennett told the crowd.

"You're the greatest! Don't let nobody tell you nothing else," singer Patti LaBelle shouted out to the crowd during her 35-minute concert at the end of the show. She was joined on stage by eight athletes, who sang and danced to her recently revived 1974 hit, "Lady Marmalade."

Craven also had nothing but praise for the organization of the Games at a wrap-up press conference earlier Saturday.

"We've just gotten to the next level. The stage is set now to really shoot for the stars. I think without the Salt Lake Games that just would not have been possible," Craven said. "We've had just a fantastic time here."

There were no major incidents or serious problems during the Paralympics, which began March 7, just 10 days after the closing ceremonies for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Romney said at the press conference that he was happy, too, with the way the Paralympics had gone.

"We couldn't be more pleased. What great Games," Romney said. "The spirit of the Paralympics really has touched the hearts of the people of Salt Lake City."

Thanks to strong ticket sales, he said, SLOC was able to spend more than planned on the Paralympics, for Saturday's fireworks finale and the decorations around Paralympic venues, including the downtown medals plaza where the closing ceremonies were held.

Romney reported that some 88 percent of the 240,000 tickets available to the Paralympics were sold for a total of $2.5 million, $300,000 more than budgeted. SLOC also made $3 million more from the sale of Olympic tickets than the $180 million budgeted.

Craven was struck by the sight of the Paralympic logo at the medals plaza. "That would have never happened before. Everything I saw was a Paralympic logo," he said. "In other Games, we've had to take what was left over from the Olympic Games."

Romney said he did not know exactly how much additional money was spent on the Paralympics. The Paralympics account for about $49 million of SLOC's $1.3 billion budget.

"It was important to us that we show the same level of commitment and enthusiasm for the Paralympic athletes that we showed for the Olympic athletes," Romney said.

Saturday's closing ceremonies for the Paralympics were also the final event for SLOC. Romney said it was a sad moment for organizers.

"It's going to be very, very difficult," Romney said, "difficult seeing the Olympics go, much more difficult for many of us who have worked together for these years to know our paths go off in different directions."

SLOC's top managers were scheduled to get together after the closing ceremonies. "It's going to be a very emotional and difficult time," Romney said.

"I can imagine the city, the youth, parents, the politicians, everyone else is going to have a hard time, too. Wow, what's happened, this experience we've talked about for decades is now coming to an end."

Plans to shut off the lights illuminating the giant images wrapping downtown buildings during closing ceremonies were scrapped, he said.

The building wraps were to have gone dark at the same time the flames in the caldrons at the medals plaza and Rice-Eccles Stadium were extinguished.

"We didn't want to watch all the lights go off," Romney said, "and send people home without seeing those huge images of the athletes."

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com

© 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company