2002 St Albans City and District Council election, By-elections between 2002 and 2003
Turnout increased by 2% from the May council election and the number of spoiled ballots dropped to 2 from 30 at the May election when the trial of electronic voting had taken place in the ward.


2002 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2002 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.


2002 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Background
Before the election Labour held a 16-seat majority on the council, with 18 seats being contested in 2002. Among the councillors who were defending seats at the election was the Liberal Democrat group leader Brian Spencer.


2002 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Background
In an attempt to increase turnout, primary school children in the 2 wards with the lowest turnout in previous elections, Blackbrook and West Sutton were given balloons with the date of election printed on them to remind their parents of the election date. Access to polling places had also been improved and there was greater publicity about the availability of postal voting, which led to 5,086 requests for postal votes compared to 1,100 at the last election in 2000.


2002 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
Labour held control of the control with 33 councillors after losing 1 seat to the Conservatives. The Conservative gain came in Windle, where Nancy Ashcroft joined her husband  as a councillor for the ward. This took the Conservatives to 5 seats on the council, while the Liberal Democrats remained on 15 seats. Overall turnout at the election was 26.4% and ranged between a low of 19.3% in West Sutton and a high of 36.93% in Rainford.


2002 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
The 2002 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the fourth in the joint venture club's history. The Dragons competed in the NRL's 2002 premiership season. The team finished seventh in the regular season, making finals but getting knocked out in the second week against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, losing 40–24.


2002 St. George Illawarra Dragons season, Ladder
1 The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches.


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals 2002 season was the team's 121st season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 111th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 97-65 during the season and won the National League Central division by 13 games over the Houston Astros. In the playoffs, the Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3 games to 0 in the NLDS but lost to the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 1 in the NLCS.


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season
Second baseman Fernando Viña, shortstop Édgar Rentería, third baseman Scott Rolen, and outfielder Jim Edmonds each won Gold Gloves this year.


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season
On June 18, long-time broadcaster Jack Buck died at the age of 77, while four days later, pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in a Chicago hotel room, at age 33.


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 St. Louis Rams season
The 2002 season was the St. Louis Rams' 65th in the National Football League, their eighth in St. Louis and their third under head coach Mike Martz.


2002 St. Louis Rams season
Fresh off their trip from Super Bowl XXXVI which ended with a loss to the 11–5 Patriots, the Rams collapsed and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998, losing their first five games.


2002 St. Louis Rams season
The season saw the emergence of new quarterback Marc Bulger, who filled in for an injured Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin. The Rams won six straight games where Bulger started and finished, but his season ended in Week 16 at Seattle.


2002 St. Louis Rams season
However, the Rams did end the season on a high note with a 31–20 victory at home against the 49ers in Week 17 and they finished the season with a 7–9 record.


2002 St. Louis Rams season, History
The years leading up to the 2002 season had the making of a roller coaster dynasty. It all began in the offseason before the 1999 season. They were able to trade for Marshall Faulk who was arguably the best running back of the time. They signed a franchise quarterback, Trent Green, who knew how to lead a team. They drafted a young wide receiver prospect, Torry Holt, and just like that their offense is completely new. Fast forward to the preseason when Green experienced a season-ending injury and all the fans thought the season was over. In comes 27 year-old Kurt Warner, who nobody knew about and who has barely played in the NFL.


2002 St. Louis Rams season, Notable facts
This season marked the decline of Kurt Warner and the end of "The Greatest Show On Turf". This also marked the first season where the Rams did not make the playoffs under Mike Martz.


2002 St. Louis Rams season, Notable facts
Star running back Marshall Faulk started in just 10 games due to ankle injury he suffered against San Diego. This weakened the Rams' running game and he finished the season with just 953 yards rushing, his lowest since 1996, where he rushed for 587 yards. At that time, he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. His 953 rushing yards this season ended his streak of five straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons. Despite a down year, Faulk was still voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season for the seventh and final time in his Hall of Fame career.


2002 St. Louis Rams season, Notable facts
For the season, the team changed their uniforms, removing the side panels on the jersey.


2002 St. Louis Rams season, Standings
St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle in the NFC West based on better division record (4–2 to 2–4).


2002 St. Petersburg Open
The 2002 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg in Russia and was part of the International Series of the 2002 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from October 21 through October 27, 2002.


2002 St. Petersburg Open, Finals, Doubles
David Adams /  Jared Palmer defeated  Irakli Labadze /  Marat Safin 7–6(10–8), 6–3


2002 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles
Denis Golovanov and Yevgeny Kafelnikov were the defending champions but lost in the quarterfinals to Irakli Labadze and Marat Safin.


2002 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles
David Adams and Jared Palmer won in the final 7–6(10–8), 6–3 against Labadze and Safin.


2002 St. Petersburg Open – Singles
Marat Safin was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Vladimir Voltchkov.


2002 St. Petersburg Open – Singles
Sébastien Grosjean won in the final 7–5, 6–4 against Mikhail Youzhny.


2002 Sta. Lucia Realtors season
The 2002 Sta. Lucia Realtors season was the tenth season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2002 Sta. Lucia Realtors season, Occurrences
The Realtors had two of its players chosen in the Philippine national team training pool divided into two groups during the Governor's Cup, Dennis Espino for RP-Selecta Ice Cream and Marlou Aquino for RP-Hapee toothpaste.


2002 Sta. Lucia Realtors season, Occurrences
In the Commissioner's Cup, the Realtors signed Chris Clay, a Fil-American who was with the RP training pool and formerly of Pangasinan Waves from the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) to replaced one of their imports, Willie Farley.


2002 Stanford Cardinal baseball team
The 2002 Stanford Cardinal baseball team represented Stanford University in the 2002 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cardinal played their home games at Sunken Diamond. The team was coached by Mark Marquess in his 26th year at Stanford.


2002 Stanford Cardinal baseball team
The Cardinal won the Palo Alto Regional and the Palo Alto Super Regional to advanced to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Texas Longhorns.


2002 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2002 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In head coach Buddy Teevens's first season at Stanford, the Cardinal won only two games, ending the season with a 2–9 record, the school's worst since a 1–10 season in 1983.


2002 Stanford Cardinal football team
The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California and competed in the Pacific-10 Conference.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2001–02 season, and the culmination of the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes. It was Detroit's twenty-second appearance in the Finals, their previous appearance being a win in 1998. It was Carolina's first appearance in the Finals in franchise history. Detroit defeated Carolina in five games to win their tenth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals
The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home. After losing the first two games in the Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings won 16 of their next 21 games en route to win their third Cup since 1997 for coach Scotty Bowman.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals
Bowman won his ninth Cup as a head coach (he had previously won it in that capacity with the Montreal Canadiens in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979, with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992, and with Detroit in 1997 and 1998), surpassing the mark he held jointly with Montreal coach Toe Blake. It was the last Detroit championship to feature members of the Russian Five, as Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov were still with the team.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Carolina defeated the New Jersey Devils, the Canadiens, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games apiece to advance to the Finals.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Detroit defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4–2, the St. Louis Blues 4–1 and the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 4–3 to advance to the Finals.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
This was the first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Hurricanes (formerly the Hartford Whalers), who made an unlikely run to the Cup. While they were seeded third as a division winner, in actuality they had the second-lowest point total (91) for a playoff team not only in the Eastern Conference, but also the whole NHL (ahead of only Montreal). In their whole NHL history, they had only won one playoff series prior to this season (as the Whalers in 1986), and had streaks of five and six seasons in which they did not make the playoffs. As the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy with 116 points, the 25-point differential was the largest between two teams in a Stanley Cup Finals since 1994 (27 points between New York Rangers (112) and the Canucks (85)).


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in the first game on the strength of Ron Francis's overtime goal. That would be Carolina's only win in the series as the Red Wings won four straight, including a triple overtime win in game three. The Cup win was the first for many veterans on the team, including goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Luc Robitaille, and defensemen Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson. It was the second Cup win for Chris Chelios, sixteen years after he first won the Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1986.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 2002 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Red Wings 3–1 win over the Hurricanes in game five.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving, Coaching and administrative staff
Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC. This would end up being the last finals broadcast by SRC, as RDS would pick up the French-language broadcast for the next season.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
In the United States, ESPN aired the first two games while ABC broadcast the rest of the series.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Aftermath
The following year, the Red Wings got swept in the first round by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Detroit would not return to the Finals until six years later when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins for their eleventh overall Stanley Cup championship.


2002 Stanley Cup Finals, Aftermath
As for the Carolina Hurricanes, they missed the playoffs the following season. The Hurricanes would not return to the Finals until four years later when they captured their first Stanley Cup championship over the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League began on April 17, 2002.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on June 13, 2002, four games to one, to win their tenth championship in their history. The Hurricanes were in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their 23-year history, which includes their tenure as the Hartford Whalers. Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. It was the ninth championship for Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who announced his retirement after the deciding game of the series. The Phoenix Coyotes played their last playoff games at America West Arena and missed the playoffs until 2010, when they played in Glendale.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 16 teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup. A record 25 shutouts were recorded in the 2002 Playoffs and, for the first time since 1991, not a single team was swept in a playoff series. This is the last time that all three Eastern Canada teams made the playoffs together and got past the first round. For the first time since entering the NHL, both teams from the province of Alberta, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers missed the playoffs in the same season.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens
The Boston Bruins finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season with 101 points. The Montreal Canadiens qualified as the eighth seed earning 87 points during the regular season. This was the twenty-ninth playoff series between the Bruins and the Canadiens, with Montreal winning twenty-one of the twenty-eight previous series. They last met in the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Boston won in seven games.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 97 points. The Ottawa Senators earned the seventh seed with 94 points. This was the first playoff series played between the two franchises. The Flyers scored two goals in this series, which is the lowest total scored by a team in a five-game series in NHL history.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
The Carolina Hurricanes entered the playoffs as the Southeast Division champions earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference with 91 points. The New Jersey Devils earned the sixth seed with 95 points. Although New Jersey finished the season with a better overall record and a higher point total, Carolina won their division so they were automatically placed in the top three seeds in the conference and were granted home ice advantage. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals where New Jersey won in six games.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) New York Islanders
The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 100 points. The New York Islanders earned the fifth seed with 96 points. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, the teams split the previous two playoff series. They last met in the 1981 Preliminary Round where New York won in three games.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Vancouver Canucks
The Detroit Red Wings entered the playoffs as the President's trophy winners, the Western Conference Regular season champions and the Central Division champions with 116 points. The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the eighth seed finishing the season with 94 points. This was the first playoff series between these two teams.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings
The Colorado Avalanche entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference by winning the Northwest Division with 99 points. The Los Angeles Kings earned 95 points during the regular season to finish seventh overall (losing the tie-breaker in head-to-head points 7–3 to Phoenix) in the Western Conference. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, they last met in the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals, which Colorado won in seven games.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) San Jose Sharks vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes
The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the Pacific Division champions earning the third seed in the Western Conference with 99 points, losing the tiebreaker with the Colorado Avalanche in wins (45 to 44). The Phoenix Coyotes earned the sixth seed with 95 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Kings in head-to head points (7 to 3). This was the first and to date only playoff series between these two teams.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) St. Louis Blues vs. (5) Chicago Blackhawks
The St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with 98 points. The Chicago Blackhawks earned the fifth seed with 96 points. This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams; with Chicago winning seven of the nine previous series. They last met in the 1993 Norris Division Semifinals, where the Blues swept the series in four games. Chicago won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (3) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens
This was the sixth playoff series between the two teams; with Montreal winning all five previous playoff series. They last met in the 1992 Adams Division Semifinals where Montreal defeated the Hartford Whalers in seven games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (4) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
This was the third consecutive playoff meeting and third postseason match-up between these two teams; with Toronto winning both previous series. Toronto won the previous year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in a four-game sweep. Ottawa won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. Before 2021, this was the most recent all-Canadian playoff series that was played after the opening round of the playoffs.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) St. Louis Blues
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams; with Detroit winning four of the six previous series. They last met in the 1998 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Detroit won in six games. Detroit won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (3) San Jose Sharks
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 1999 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Colorado won in six games. Colorado won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (3) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was Toronto's fourth appearance in the Conference Finals. They last played in the Eastern Conference Final in 1999, which they lost to the Buffalo Sabres in five games. The Hurricanes advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in their 23rd season (fifth in Carolina) after entering the league in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers. These teams split their four-game regular season series.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (3) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs
As of 2020, this series remains as the lowest scoring six-game playoff series in NHL history.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Colorado winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 2000 Western Conference Semifinals with Colorado winning in five games. This was Detroit's seventh Conference Finals appearance. They last went to the Western Conference Final in 1998, where they defeated the Dallas Stars in six games. This was Colorado's fourth consecutive and eighth appearance in the Conference Finals. They last went to the Western Conference Final in the previous year, which they won against the St. Louis Blues in five games. Detroit won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche
Game seven of this series, is the most one-sided game seven score in NHL history.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Detroit made their twenty-second Finals appearance; their most recent appearance came in 1998 where they swept the Washington Capitals in four games. Carolina made their first Finals appearance in their twenty-third season since entering the league in 1979–80. The Hurricanes franchise had last played in a championship series when they were known as the New England Whalers in the WHA in 1978 where they were swept by the Winnipeg Jets. Detroit won both games in this year's regular season series.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics
Despite getting eliminated by the Red Wings in the Western Conference Final, Colorado forward Peter Forsberg led the playoffs in points with 18 assists and 9 goals. Brett Hull of the Detroit Red Wings led the playoffs with ten goals.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Skaters
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
These are the top seven goaltenders based on goals against average with at least four games played.


2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; Sv% = Save Percentage; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SO = Shutouts


2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic
The 2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States that was part of the Tier II category of the 2002 WTA Tour. It was the third edition of the tournament and ran from February 26 through March 3, 2002. Third-seeded Serena Williams won the singles title and earned $93,000 first-prize money.


2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
Lisa Raymond /  Rennae Stubbs defeated  Cara Black /  Elena Likhovtseva 6–3, 5–7, 7–6


2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic – Doubles
Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, by defeating Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7–4) in the final.


2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic – Singles
Serena Williams won the title by defeating Jennifer Capriati 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 in the final.


2002 State Farm Women's Tennis Classic – Singles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2002 State of Origin series
The 2002 State of Origin series saw the 21st time that the annual three-game series between the Queensland and New South Wales representative rugby league football teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' selection rules. It was the second drawn series in four years and being the second default title retention by Queensland, it ignited protests from the New South Wales camp eventually accepted by the NRL, for the introduction of extra-time to State of Origin matches was introduced to ensure a definitive result.


2002 State of Origin series, Game I
A young and enthusiastic New South Wales side proved far too good for their older opponents when they ran away with a 32–4 win in game I. The result suggested a bright future for the Blues who unearthed a number of new stars in fullback Brett Hodgson, centre Jamie Lyon and forwards Luke Bailey, Steve Simpson and Australian Test hooker Danny Buderus. Lyon showed his worth early with a remarkable try in the 24th minute off an Andrew Johns grubber kick on halfway.


2002 State of Origin series, Game I
Johns was named man of the match but it was Hodgson who stood tall after many had questioned the ability of the diminutive fullback to withstand the physical demands of Origin. The Parramatta Eels fullback ran for a record 390 metres - more than twice that of any other player on the field - and capped his night with an 80-metre run from the scrumbase to score under the posts.


2002 State of Origin series, Game II
Queensland winger, Lote Tuqiri was charged with a dangerous throw in an NRL match and was left off the Queensland team sheet so he could plead guilty at the judiciary, allowing him to serve his ban on the Friday and be available for Game II the following Wednesday.


2002 State of Origin series, Game II
In a typical Origin script, Queensland managed to reverse the result in game II with a thrilling display to level the series. In a disastrous debut, Maroons centre Justin Hodges emulated the feat of New South Wales' Phil Duke of twenty years earlier when he gathered a Johns kick in the 27th minute and fired a pass in goal to Darren Lockyer, only to see the ball sail over Lockyer's head and Blues five-eighth Braith Anasta pounce to give his side the lead. Then in the 61st minute Hodges did it again for Luke Ricketson to score before he was eventually hauled from the field by coach Wayne Bennett as his confidence dropped.


2002 State of Origin series, Game II
On the other side of the field, Queensland centre Chris McKenna was playing the match of his life as he assisted winger Lote Tuqiri to a three-try haul.


2002 State of Origin series, Game III
It was in this match that Gorden Tallis performed a famous tackle on Blues fullback, Brett Hodgson, dragging and eventually tossing him out of the field of play by the collar like a rag-doll. In a dramatic end to one of the most exciting series in years, the Blues thought they'd stolen the game when Jason Moodie finished off a magnificent team movement with three minutes remaining to take an 18–14 lead. But Queensland back-rower Dane Carlaw's try leveled the score at 18-all after a dramatic 50-metre burst, ensuring the title stayed with the Maroons.


2002 State of Origin series, Game III
Queensland skipper Gorden Tallis' reaction in giving the one-finger salute to a section of the crowd, right behind the northern tryline where Carlaw's try was scored, became a major after-match talking point. Tallis gained some sympathy when it was revealed that he was objecting to an offensive sign about his mother. But many again raised questions about his capacity to captain Australia with debate raging over the choice between Tallis or Andrew Johns to succeed Brad Fittler. Days later Johns was chosen to lead the Kangaroos in the July Test against Great Britain.


2002 State of the Union Address
The 2002 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on Tuesday, January 29, 2002, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 107th United States Congress. It was Bush's first State of the Union Address and his third speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, accompanied by Dick Cheney, the vice president, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.


2002 State of the Union Address
In front of members of the 107th United States Congress, along with special civilian and military guests, Bush addressed the U.S. as he delivered his first State of the Union address. The speech covered the effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year and Bush's plans to prevent future terrorist attacks upon the United States. Bush gave a progress report on the Global War on Terrorism and detailed his plans to end terrorism and bring all terrorists to justice, either by legal prosecution or death.


2002 State of the Union Address
The issues inside the United States were also addressed by Bush, including his plan to strengthening the U.S. economy after a recession. The speech was centered on foreign affairs and was well received by both Republicans and Democrats. He said, "In four short months, our nation has comforted the victims, begun to rebuild New York and the Pentagon, rallied a great coalition, captured, arrested, and rid the world of thousands of terrorists, destroyed Afghanistan's terrorist training camps, saved a people from starvation, and freed a country from brutal oppression." In that statement, Bush referred to how the United States deposed the Taliban from its rule over Afghanistan. He stated that the U.S. deposed the Emirate of Afghanistan, because the Islamic regime did not respect the human rights of Afghan citizens.


2002 State of the Union Address, Background
"State of the Union" addresses are mandated by Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution which states that the President of the United States of America must inform the U.S. Congress regarding issues of the state and specific recommendations for new programs and initiatives. Since 1790, State of the Union addresses have been given once a year.


2002 State of the Union Address, Background
They were given originally as written reports, but are now given as verbal orations before a formal audience, with the U.S. president addressing joint sessions of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Vice President and U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives sitting on a podium behind the president.


2002 State of the Union Address, Background
As the U.S. president, Bush gave the 2002 State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002. He addressed a joint session of the 107th U.S. Congress and special guests, as well as the U.S. and the international community through the televised speech.


2002 State of the Union Address, Background
The 2002 State of the Union address was the first to be delivered by Bush after the September 11 attacks of 2001. The oration addressed the attacks on the U.S. and his plan of action, as well as his goals for the remainder of his term as President. In the address, Bush first introduced the term "axis of evil" in referring to the countries of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, with the oration being primarily centered on foreign policy.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, September 11 attacks
Bush spoke about the September 11 attacks of the previous year that killed thousands of people in New York City, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda carried out the attack with 19 hijackers that took over four commercial airline flights and crashed them into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City's Lower Manhattan, and into the Pentagon in Virginia's Arlington County.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, September 11 attacks
During the attack, two of the hijacked airplanes crashed into the upper portions of the twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. United Airlines Flight 93, which was also taken over by hijackers, failed to crash into its intended target in Washington, D.C. when passengers on the flight received information about the ongoing attacks and revolted against the terrorists, causing the plane to crash in an open field in the rural Pennsylvanian countryside.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, "Axis of evil"
An "axis of evil" was a term first used by President Bush in this address. The so-called "axis of evil" was said to be made up of three countries: Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. These countries were cited as countries pursuing chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and having terrorist training camps. The president warned, "States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world". Bush's stated goal was to disarm these countries and destroy their terrorist training camps.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Global War on Terrorism and War in Afghanistan
Bush declared a "Global War on Terrorism", saying that the U.S. would act against any country that was aiding or harboring terrorists. His goals for the war were to end terrorism and its threat on the United States and to bring all terrorists to justice, either by capturing them and prosecuting them legally, or by killing them. In the months before the speech, Bush claimed that the U.S. military freed Afghanistan and was the country's allies against terrorism. The women in Afghanistan were freed and part of the new government and rebuilding of their country.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Global War on Terrorism and War in Afghanistan
The President felt the war in Afghanistan was just the beginning of the war against terror. He said, "Thousands of dangerous killers, schooled in the methods of murder, often supported by outlaw regimes, are now spread throughout the world like ticking time bombs, set to go off without warning." The two main goals of the war were to shut down training camps and capture terrorists and prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. The American troops were deployed on missions in the Philippines, Bosnia, and the coast of Africa. Bush called for increased funding for the war to get precision weapons, replace aircraft, and increase pay raise for soldiers. In 2002 there were 69 casualties in  Afghanistan. By 2012 there have been 2,920 casualties in Afghanistan and 4,802 casualties in Iraq.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Homeland security
The September 11 attacks of 2001 increased Bush's desire for a larger allocation of funds for "homeland security" purposes, to protect the U.S. against further terrorist attacks. Bush stated, "The next priority of my budget is to do everything possible to protect our citizens and strengthen our nation against the ongoing threat of another attack."


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Homeland security
The four areas of focus in homeland security were bio-terrorism, emergency response, airport and border security, and improved intelligence. Bush believed effective execution of homeland security would make the U.S. a stronger country. The funding went to developing defenses against biochemical weapons, better training for police and emergency personnel, and stronger security at borders and airports. The President wanted to prevent another attack from happening and be more prepared if one occurred. The legislation establishing the Department of Homeland Security was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in November 2002. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 brought together 22 separate agencies with the mission to prevent terrorism, reduce vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage of a terrorist attack on the United States.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Economics
The U.S. economy went through a recession in 2001 for the first time in a decade. A reporter at CNN wrote, "The most common definition of a recession is two or more quarters of a shrinking economy." The factors defining a recession include declines in employment, industrial production, and income and sales. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.9%, which was the highest rate in the past four years. Experts at NBER, the National Bureau of Economic Research, argue that the economy likely could have avoided the recession if not for the September 11th attacks.


2002 State of the Union Address, Major themes, Economics
The attacks shut down the economy for several days and had a lasting impact on tourism and other businesses. The President was aware of the economic problems entering office and in the speech addressed methods of reviving the economy. The president summed up his plan when he said, "When America works, America prospers, so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word: jobs." President Bush's plan addressed the importance of education, affordable energy, expanded trade, and sound economic and fiscal policy to create "good jobs" for the American people. Bush argued that the most effective means of creating jobs was by investing in factories and equipment and speeding up tax relief. He pushed for a stimulus package to be passed by Congress to aid in relief.


2002 State of the Union Address, Statistics
The address marked Bush's second formal speech of his administration. Certain words appeared much more frequently than others. The words "Afghanistan" and "war" were each spoken 13 times in the speech, and the word  "terrorist" was used 19 times. The word "economy" was spoken 7 different times and Iraq was mentioned twice. One of the most frequently used words in his speech was "terror". The speech lasted 48 minutes and applause broke out 76 different times. At the time of the speech, President Bush had an 80% approval rating.


2002 State of the Union Address, Democratic reaction
Representative Richard Dick Gephardt (D-MO), the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives at the time, gave the Democratic response to President Bush's 2002 State of the Union address. In his response, the Congressman from Missouri argued the importance of unity among the parties during the difficult times the country was facing. He asserted the Democratic and Republican parties needed to come together to figure out how to win the War on Terror and help the economy out of recession.


2002 State of the Union Address, Special guests
The State of the Union addresses are always a joint session of Congress, but there were other people invited to the President's speech. The first guest mentioned was the interim leader of Afghanistan, Afghan Interim Authority Chairman Hamid Karzai. Another Afghan leader present was Dr. Sima Samar the Minister of Woman's Affairs. Also a guest was Afghan Interim Authority Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. Shannon Spann, the wife of CIA officer and Marine Michael Spann, was present and her story mentioned in the president's speech. Flight attendants Hermis Moutardier and Christina Jones were present and commended by the president. There were twenty other citizens invited to the speech on the First Lady's guest list.


2002 Stella Artois Championships
The 2002 Stella Artois Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Queen's Club in London in the United Kingdom and was part of the International Series of the 2002 ATP Tour. It was the 100th edition of the tournament and was held from 10 June through 16 June 2002. First-seeded Lleyton Hewitt won his third consecutive singles title at the event.


2002 Stella Artois Championships, Finals, Doubles
Wayne Black /  Kevin Ullyett defeated  Mahesh Bhupathi /  Max Mirnyi 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 6–3


2002 Stella Artois Championships – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions but lost in the first round to Christophe Rochus and Olivier Rochus.


2002 Stella Artois Championships – Doubles
Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett won in the final 7–5, 6–3 against Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi.


2002 Stella Artois Championships – Doubles, Seeds
The top four seeded teams received byes into the second round.


2002 Stella Artois Championships – Singles
Lleyton Hewitt was the defending champion and won in the final 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 against Tim Henman. This was the prelude to him winning the Wimbledon title the following fortnight.


2002 Stella Artois Championships – Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye to the second round.


2002 Stevenage Borough Council election
Elections to Stevenage Borough Council were held on 2 May 2002. One third of the council was up for election; the seats of the candidates who finished second in each ward in the all-out election of 1999. The Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council, which it had held continuously since 1973.


2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
The 25th Stinkers Bad Movie Awards were released by the Hastings Bad Cinema Society in 2003 to honour the worst films the film industry had to offer in 2002. Pinocchio received the most nominations with nine. All nominees and winners, with respective percentages of votes for each category, are listed below. Dishonourable mentions are also featured for Worst Picture (56 total).


2002 Stock Car Brasil season, Teams and drivers
All cars used Chevrolet Vectra Stock Car chassis. All drivers were Brazilian-registered.


2002 Stock Car Brasil season, Teams and drivers
The 2002 Stock Car Brasil was the 26th Stock Car Brasil season.


2002 Stockholm municipal election
The 2002 Stockholm municipal election was held on Sunday, 15 September 2002. The election used a party-list proportional representation system to allocate the 101-seats of the Stockholm City Council (Stockholms stadsfullmäktige) to the various Swedish political parties. This election was held concurrently with the 2002 Swedish parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 77.7%.


2002 Stockholm municipal election
This election marks the first time since the election of 1976 that the Stockholm Party failed to win any seats, ending their 23-year streak of representation on the City Council.


2002 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2002 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election was held on 2 May 2002 as part of the wider local elections. Twenty-one seats were up for election across every ward in Stockport and it resulted in the Liberal Democrats having a majority of seats on the council. The Liberal Democrats held this majority until the  2011 local elections.


2002 Strait of Gibraltar terror plot
In May and June 2002, Moroccan authorities arrested several people in connection with an Al-Qaeda plot to attack American and British naval ships and shipping in the Strait of Gibraltar. Three Saudi Arabians were arrested for the plot, followed by several Moroccan Islamists, many members of Salafia Jihadia.


2002 Strait of Gibraltar terror plot, Plot and arrests
The three Saudi nationals arrested were Zuher al-Tbaiti, the suspected ringleader, and Abdullah al-Ghamdi and Hilal al-Assiri. The three eventually confessed to the plot, having escaped Afghanistan in 2001 during the Battle of Tora Bora. The men had reportedly been instructed to the plot by a senior aide to Osama bin Laden based in Pakistan, named "Abu Bilal", suspected by authorities to be Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri who later reportedly confessed to having been behind the plot. The plot involved using speedboats packed with explosives in suicide bombings against American and British vessels, and possibly suicide bombings in Gibraltar.


2002 Strait of Gibraltar terror plot, Plot and arrests
The Saudis had been able to integrate into Moroccan society by marrying Moroccan women through the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). The wives of two of the men were arrested, suspected of having been used as money couriers for al-Qaeda and to have been aware of the plots; one of the two women attempted to hide explosives in her apartment when she was arrested by security forces. According to one official, the plot had been planned "well before" the September 11 attacks. Attacks were reportedly also planned in Morocco, notably in the tourist centre of Marrakesh. The three Saudi Arabians were sentenced to ten years imprisonment in February 2003.


2002 Strait of Gibraltar terror plot, Plot and arrests
The plot was widely compared to the USS Cole bombing of 2000. The bombing of USS Cole, as well as the later bombing of the French-registered oil tanker Limburg in October 2002, have also been linked to al-Nashiri.


2002 Strait of Gibraltar terror plot, Plot and arrests
In 2003, NATO began escorting civilian ships through the Strait of Gibraltar amid fears of terrorist attacks. The Strait was mentioned as a target by Al-Qaeda in 2014, when through its magazine Resurgence it urged its followers of attacks against central transport hubs to destabilise the world economy.


2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election
The 2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Stratford-on-Avon District Council in Warwickshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000 reducing the number of seats by 2. The Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election, Campaign
All of the seats on the council were contested after boundary changes had reduced the number of seats from 55 to 53. Before the election the Conservatives ran the council with an overall majority of 1 seat.


2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election, Campaign
The Liberal Democrats were the main opposition on the council and contested 46 of the 53 seats. They attacked the Conservatives for increasing council tax since taking control in 2000, while cutting grants to various groups and moving the council offices to a rented site. The Conservatives however defended their record saying that the move in council offices would save money and that they had introduced a new bus pass allowing cheaper travel. Other issues raised in the election included social housing, the environment, speeding traffic and recycling.


2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election, Campaign
The results were counted electronically as part of a pilot scheme, while voters were able to use electronic voting in 140 electronic polling booths. This was expected to lead to results being declared much earlier than in many areas, with some expected within minutes of polls closing. However while turnout was quite high at around 40%, the results were delayed after the computers did not perform as well as expected.


2002 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives retain an overall majority of just 1 seat on the council. They made gains in Ettington, Snitterfield and the new ward of Stockton and Napton, but lost seats in Studley and Harbury. The Liberal Democrats made gains primarily at the expense of independents, who lost the most seats in the election. Meanwhile, Labour retained their 2 seats in Southam, but failed to make any gains.


2002 Stromboli tsunami
The 2002 Stromboli tsunami was a tidal wave caused by a volcanic eruption on the island of Stromboli, in the Aeolian Islands of Sicily, located on the Tyrrhenian Sea. In May 2002, one of the island's two active volcanoes, called Stromboli, entered a new phase of explosive activity that was initially characterized by gas and ash emission from the summit craters. On December 30, 2002, the seismic network recorded two large collapses of a huge portion of the Sciara del Fuoco, which resulted in the tsunamis. The first landslide was around 13:15 and the second one around 13:23 which lasted for 5–7 minutes. The event caused damages on the eastern coast side of Stromboli and Panarea. These tsunamis have been considered the most violent ones that have struck Stromboli in the past 100 years.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
Significant phenomena affected Stromboli during its fifth life cycle between 13,000 and 4000 BP (Neostromboli). After the major eruptive phase ended about 7500–7000 years ago, the volcano has been affected by massive collapses, until it had reached its maximum expansion of the north sector for a period which lasted 3000 years. These were the most recent landslides which led to the formation of the Sciara del Fuoco, a steep slope formed by lava, lapillus and incandescent waste, which descends from the crater of Stromboli (750 m above sea level) to the sea.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
Since May 2002, Stromboli was characterized by a high explosive activity at 100m above the summit craters. In November the level of the lava located in the craters was very high, which resulted in an overflow in the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, which has increased Strombolian activity and has caused several explosions in the early December as well. The heights of ejecta were intense at Crater 1. Afterward, it reached 200m above Crater 1, and the explosions left magma closely to the crater's rim.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
At local time 18.30 (UTC+1) on December 28, a not usual activity characterized by a 300m long eruptive break occurred, causing the break of the northern wall of Crater 1, displacing the North West upper eastern part of the Sciara del Fuoco wall. The lava flows were steep, two of them came out from the base and one from the middle of the break. It covered a 400m unstable surface. The first flow reached the sea, which was about 1,1 km away, in 30 minutes. Significant volcanic activity changes did not occur, a volcanic tremor started to increase. 12 hours later two new gaps opened at about 500m and 600m high causing the start of two lava flows.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
In the morning of December 29, the lava flows along the Sciara del Fuoco were no longer fueled and two horizontal cracks opened on the surface, which were the evidence of the continuous failure. On December 30, the two-gap at 500m and 600m were being fueled once more, so lava flows started again. These flows went along the December 28 cracks while cutting through it. There was only ash emission, but it was not provoked by explosive activity, it was caused by frictional sliding.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
This revealed the concept of their formation, which started from 500m at the eastern wall of the Sciara del Fuoco and went down on the slope. 20 minutes later new brakes opened on the west side at about 500m, which defined the border of the upcoming landslides that formed a few hours later. The gaps were filled with a massive mass of rock, and probably because of the difference of the rocks in the middle resulted in the two rock's part failure that provoked two different landslides.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, History
The first part crashed into the sea at 13.14.05 and the second one at 13.22.38. These caused two tsunamis, that can be felt at Panarea Island, which is 20 km away from Stromboli. It took 6–7 minutes to reach them and it was visible for 10s. That was the first time a tsunami was recorded on the island. Many minor landslides and collapses occurred, including the two major landslides resulted in 6–8 Hz frequency content.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
On December 30, 2002, a part of the Sciara del Fuoco collapsed causing a land movement of 18 million cubic meters of material. The detachment of the wall occurred in two different phases, firstly the landslide was caused in the submerged part of the Sciara del Fuoco and later on spread to the surface.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
The north-west side is the result of the filling by the products of volcanic activity; a depression created as a result of multiple collapses of the same side occurred, according to recent studies at least in protohistoric times. The landslides that produced the tidal waves are the result of a sequence of deep movements (up to 70 m) that involved the North-East sector of the subaerial and submarine side of the Sciara after the beginning of the volcanic eruptions, which occurred on December 28.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
The complex evolution that led to the destructive landslides of December 30, 2002, was reconstructed when a group of researchers from the Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Bologna, the INGV-Section of Catania and the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the CNR undertook, on behalf of the Civil Protection Department, in the days after the landslide events, a special study aimed at assessing the evolution of the stability conditions in the following months, following the strong changes in morphological conditions produced by the intense erosive and effusive activity of Stromboli.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
A decisive contribution to the analysis of the phenomena came from the work carried out in the months before the events by the members of the research group. They were involved in two projects of the National Volcanology Group in which detailed surveys of the morphology of the emerged and submerged slopes and studies on the stability of the slopes were carried out.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
These surveys were compared with those carried out in the days following the landslides of December 30 and integrated with the analysis of aerial photos following the landslide and with helicopter photos acquired during the sequence of the various phenomena of instability that followed the eruption. These data were used for the analysis of backward stability of the slope that gave the first clues about the triggering mechanisms. Thus, it was possible to reconstruct the dynamics of the events.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Causes
This reconstruction highlighted the fundamental role of the magma intrusion on the slope during the types of volcanic eruptions, which triggered the first deep movements of the north-east sector of the Sciara slope at least one day before the destructive landslide events, and of the instability of the submarine portion of the slope, from which the subsequent landslides propagated upstream.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Timing
The seismograms recorded by the seismic stations installed in Stromboli and in Panarea provide time values that fit the scientific standards and are therefore of high reliability. Equally reliable is the time read in the sea level, recorded by the tide-gauge installed in the port of Panarea. From sources recorded by the seismic stations, it is evident that the two main landslides detached at 13:15 and at 13:22–13:23 local time, that the tsunamis hit north Panarea around 13:20 and 13:27, arriving at the Panarea harbor between 13:19 and 13:24.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Economic and cultural impact
Stromboli is an active volcano whose persistent activity is considered of mid-intensity explosive and it occurs every 10 to 20 minutes. The presence of an active volcano in the Aeolian Island attracts many people to visit the island. Instead of discouraging tourists, the powerful activity of the volcano has attracted people to witness the spectacular volcanic explosions and has increased the economy of the island.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Economic and cultural impact
In order to manage and balance the economy, based on tourism and safety, with the risk in having many tourist during volcano explosions, Stromboli has come up with a safety guide for hiking trials and a handbook full of information related to the island, in order to behave in the best way during emergency situations. Whenever the Aeolian volcano erupts again, the locals remember what happened on December 30, 2002. From 2019, almost 12 years have passed since that day when an anomalous wave affected all the coasts of the lower Tyrrhenian Sea between Calabria and Sicily. The greatest danger of the Stromboli eruptions is linked precisely to the risk of tsunami and to the unpredictability of volcanic activity, which, although classified as 'low-energy', is uninterrupted and can trigger devastating events.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
On December 30, two days after the start of the effusion phase, there was a partial collapse of one side of the volcano involved in the lava flow. The landslide event also affected submarine portions of the Sciara del Fuoco and caused a tidal wave whose maximum height was simulated around 10 m, the well-known tsunami of December 2002. The eruption lasted until the end of March, with small variations in the flow rate of lava and the positions of the eruptive mouths was accompanied by reduced or no explosive activity in the craters.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
Between the end of March and the beginning of April, the flow rate of the fluxes showed a significant decrease and weak signals associated with small ash explosions observed in the crater area began to be recorded. On April 5, at 8.12 a.m. (local time), a strong explosion occurred at the north-east crater.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
The explosion was followed by the expulsion of lithic and shreds of lava with the formation of a volcanic cloud characterized by a mushroom-shaped that reached a height of about 1150 m. The expelled products fell on the flanks of the volcano up to low altitude, causing fires in the vegetation. The effusive activity fed by the mouths, present in the lava field, set at an altitude of 600 m above sea level, continued accompanied by modest explosive activity at the craters, with sporadic explosive episodes of greater energy.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
The expelled products fell on the flank of the volcano up to low altitude, causing fires in the vegetation. The effusive activity fed by the mouths present in the lava field, set at an altitude of 600 m above sea level, followed by modest explosive activity at the craters, with sporadic explosive episodes of greater energy. Between June and the second half of July, there was a progressive decrease in the flow of lava and a gradual increase in explosive activity.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
On July 21, the effusive activity was exhausted while the explosive activity started to involve all the craters in the summit area and had the typical characteristics of Strombolian activity with the launch of slag and lapilli. At the beginning of August, the magma was very superficial and the explosions were still low-energy. During the following months, the explosive activity resumed the typical characteristics of normal Strombolian volcanic activity. The first result which was caused by the volcano was an impressive scar which was 800 m deep, whereas on the coast the scar was over 40 m deep.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Results
Once the event occurred, the submarine morphology started to evolve quickly due to lava emission and rockfall from the subaerial slope. The development has been rapidly documented by a series of multibeam surveys. Firstly, an estimate of the rock volume involved in the submarine landslide shows that it might have been the origin of the tsunami. One of the reasons for the instability of Sciara del Fuoco is due to the submarine landslide.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Damages
On the island of Stromboli, the 2002 eruption has originated two tsunamis which first caused the sea to recede and then provoked two anomalous waves of 20 meters that caused major damages in the Strombolian inhabited area called Ginostra, hitting the whole village. The event also forced the Civil Protection to close the island to the tourists, until an efficient alarm system against similar phenomena had been tested. No evacuation orders have ever been issued, although most residents preferred to spend the last night of 2002 in a safer environment on the island of Lipari.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Damages
The tsunami swept away boats, damaged houses situated along the coast and injured six people, who were evacuated by helicopter and brought to two hospitals in Sicily. A tanker was seriously hit by the wave, causing oil spills. Other minor effects of the giant wave were recorded in the confining Aeolian islands, especially in Panarea. The total damage to the infrastructures of Stromboli, Panarea and Ginostra is worth €600,000.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Casualties and first aid
On December 30, 2002, a large amount of rock felt into the sea causing an anomalous wave; because of it three people were injured and two people were transferred to hospitals in Messina. All of them had 30 days of prognosis: the first one resulted to have a fractured leg, the second one a fractured foot, whereas the third injured person was a German citizen who had a slight head cut. Part of the island of Stromboli was evacuated: 100 people were transferred by the Civil protection helicopters to Messina and 40 to Lipari.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Casualties and first aid
Two helicopters from the Air Force have taken part in rescue operations after the event. Since the tsunami occurred in late December, the island was not filled with tourists and the reports on the casualties state that there were no deaths. Not many casualties occurred because of the lack of residents during the winter season.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, National emergency plan history
The national emergency planning activities for the Island of Stromboli started in 2003, which saw the participation and involvement of Sicily, the Prefecture – UTG of Messina and the Municipality of Lipari and which ended with the approval, in August 2015, of the "National emergency plan for volcanic events of national importance". The first national planning document was drawn up during the emergency events that affected the island from the end of 2002 to 2003.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, National emergency plan history
An effusive phase of the volcano began on December 28, 2002 and followed two days later, on December 30, from a landslide along the Sciara del Fuoco and from an ascertained tsunami, determining the predisposition of a first planning of civil protection for the management of the emergency deriving from the tsunami risk for Stromboli and the other islands of the Aeolian archipelago.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Risk mitigation
The emotional impact on public opinion of the tsunami of December 2002 was felt as a stimulus for the initiatives of the National Civil Protection System and Local authorities to aim at structurally improve standard safety measures and increase prevention and mitigation to deal effectively with future crisis.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Risk mitigation
The main initiatives, implemented during the 2003 crisis, consisted of the creation of new geophysical and geochemical volcanic detection networks and a local civil protection structure (AOC, Advanced Operations Centre), where signals from volcanic monitoring are displayed in real-time and possibly used by the staff of the Civil Protection Department (DPC) for the immediate activation of response procedures.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Risk mitigation
In 2005, at the DPC in Rome, the Central Functional Volcanic Risk Centre (CFCRV) was established, where the most relevant monitoring signals of the active volcanoes are displayed in real-time and where simple processing activities are carried out daily, for risk assessment and data sharing within the scientific community, coordinated by civil protection personnel with training in volcanic problems. The response effectiveness of the new system was tested in the months of February–March 2007 when a new volcanic crisis occurred. During this crisis, the DPC coordinated information activities with the media and islanders. The effective management of the crisis consisted of minimizing the risk to people and, at the same time, facilitating normal activities and regular access to the island.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Aftermath, Risk mitigation
Hotel owners and other touristic facilities were given leaflets and further information which has been spread among tourists to increase awareness. Most of the inhabitants thought that giving this information to the visitors would have had a negative impact on tourism; actually, this never happened because Stromboli is still considered a 12-month destination from tourists all over the world. Increasing involvement of the local population in civil protection activities led to establishing two groups of civil protection volunteers on the island. These two groups took active part in the tsunami information campaign “Io non Rischio” in 2015 and 2016, which were right in the middle of the summer period.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage
After the eruption of December 2002, many newspapers, newscasts and websites, such as la Repubblica, Corriere del Mezzogiorno and Corriere della Sera, have reported the incident. The event was studied by researchers from the Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Bologna, the INGV-Section of Catania and the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the CNR.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Data collection and processing
In front of the Sciara del Fuoco slope, an initial survey has been carried out a week after the event. The results obtained were precise and they varied from about 1 meter in shallow water to around 5 meters in deep water. In order to improve the precision and resolution of the final results, further techniques for acquiring data and nonstandard processing were applied. Different grids were used for different depth ranges, but also tinning (which is a triangular irregular network) and random points visualization were performed when the maximum resolution was required.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Data collection and processing
The data analysis is carried out continuously by an automatic system at the monitoring center of the Vesuvian Observatory, called Eolo. VLP signals require unconventional analysis techniques. The current configuration of the seismic network allows to perform the detection and localization of VLP events with a technique based on a "semblance" analysis. This technique involves rather long calculation times that generally prevent its implementation in "real-time" monitoring systems. To overcome this problem, Eolo uses parallel calculation methods on clusters and uses a supercomputer with 132 processors.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Data collection and processing
This allows to perform continuous semblance analysis, automatically locating all the VLP signals generated by Stromboli activity, which in certain periods can exceed 500 events per day, and perform numerous other signal analyses such as spectrograms, polarization, Real-time Seismic-Amplitude Measurement (RSAM) for all stations. Eolo has a Web interface that allows access to all information and it is available online. The system developed for Stromboli has ensured seismic monitoring during the eruptive crises of 2002–2003 and 2007 by providing a large amount of data processed daily. Thanks to its advanced design and the development of new automatic analysis systems, it allows us to obtain in real-time the maximum information from the acquired data and to highlight its significance.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Interviews of witnesses
In 2003 people who lived in Stromboli and Panarea were interviewed, though there were not many witnesses since only civil protection authorities and scientists had been allowed in the area. Some witnesses were asked to fill in a questionnaire which was adopted following the UNESCO post-tsunami survey field guide. 17 eyewitnesses were selected and grouped, based on their geographic location at the time of the events, and they were asked to have a more detailed interview, either directly by phone or through email.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Interviews of witnesses
The purpose was to clarify what the witnesses had seen and understand what had happened without being influenced by the interviewer's point of view. The local witnesses agreed on a negative first wave pulse and one of them affirmed that "a sort of vertical cut" opened in the seawater at the Sciara del Fuoco foot and spread around. Others reported that two sets of tsunami waves reached the coast, even if in two different moments.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Media coverage, Interviews of witnesses
The inhabitants remember what happened on December 30, 2002, every time the Stromboli volcano erupts again. Almost 12 years have passed since an anomalous wave has affected all the coasts of the lower Tyrrhenian Sea between Calabria and Sicily. It is possible to reconstruct what happened thanks to a brief summary written by Dr. Sonia Calvari, an expert at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Monitoring systems, Elastic beacon
The Sciara del Fuoco stability is monitored by an elastic beacon. Marine surveys occurred offshore of Sciara del Fuoco for monitoring the Stromboli submarine slope after the two tsunamis in December 2002. All the morphological changes and depositional processes have been studied carefully. Thanks to thirteen surveys in 4 years, it has been possible to reconstruct the morpho-sedimentary evolution of the submarine slope.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Monitoring systems, Elastic beacon
The scar has been progressively filled with lava; at the beginning, the filling rate was high because of the entrance of lava flows into the sea and to the morphological readjustment of the slope; later on, the rate dramatically decreased when the eruption stopped. In February 2007, the scar was already filled by 40%, but then a new type of eruption occurred. The wideband seismic monitoring system of the Stromboli volcano has been active since January 2003 and was designed to detect and analyze the seismicity related to the eruptive processes taking place on the island.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Monitoring systems, Elastic beacon
The network consists of 13 digital stations with broadband sensors. The data are acquired from GAIA (INGV – CNT) digital recorders with 24-bit analog-to-digital converter and a sampling frequency set at 50 samples per second for each channel. The timing system of these stations is based on the synchronization of the internal clock with the absolute time signal of the Global Positioning System (GPS) which has an accuracy of 5 seconds. Signals are transmitted continuously via radio modem to two different data logging centers.


2002 Stromboli tsunami, Monitoring systems, Elastic beacon
The first is located on the island of Stromboli, at the INGV Observatory of San Vincenzo, and receives signals from the stations on the north side, which there is direct visibility with. The second is located in Lipari, at the INGV Observatory, and receives signals from the stations on the southern side. From Lipari, the signals are sent again to Stromboli, at the San Vincenzo Observatory, via TCP/IP connection. The signals of the entire network are then retransmitted to the INGV section of Catania and the Vesuvian Observatory (INGV) of Naples where they are monitored 24 hours a day by the surveillance staff.


2002 Stroud District Council election
The 2002 Stroud Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Stroud District Council in Gloucestershire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000 reducing the number of seats by 4. The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.


2002 Stroud District Council election, Election result
Before the election the Conservatives were the largest party on the council with 24 seats, 4 seats short of having a majority. The results saw the Conservatives gain control of the council after Labour lost seats. Overall turnout in the election was 39.83%.


2002 Sugar Bowl
The 2002 Sugar Bowl, a 2001–02 BCS game, was played on January 1, 2002. This 68th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the LSU Tigers. Illinois came into the game 10–1, and ranked 8th in the BCS, whereas LSU came into the game 9–3, and ranked 13th in the BCS.


2002 Sugar Bowl
Domanick Davis started the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run to open up a 7–0 LSU lead. In the second quarter, he posted touchdown runs of 25 and 16 yards, as LSU opened a 21–0 lead. Quarterback Rohan Davey found wide receiver Josh Reed in the end zone for a 28–0 lead. Quarterback Kittner threw a touchdown pass to Hodges to close the deficit to 28–7. Rohan Davey added another touchdown pass before the half to open a 34–7 half-time lead.


2002 Sugar Bowl
Illinois tried to rally but were too far behind, and LSU ended up winning 47–34. Davey and Josh Reed would play in their final game together. Davey would graduate and Reed would forgo his senior season to play in the NFL at Buffalo.


2002 Sukma Games
The 2002 Sukma Games, officially known as the 9th Sukma Games, was a Malaysian multi-sport event held in Sabah from 7 to 14 September 2002. Perakian gymnast Ng Shu Mun, Kuala Lumpurian athlete Ngew Sin Mei and Negeri Sembilan athlete Petra Nabila Mustafa were announced as Best Sportsman, Best Sportswoman and Most Promising Sportswoman of the event respectively.


2002 Sukma Games, Development and preparation
The 9th Sukma Games Organising Committee chaired by Chief Minister of Sabah, Chong Kah Kiat was formed to oversee the staging of the event.


2002 Sukma Games, Development and preparation, Venues
The 9th Sukma Games had 19 venues for the games.


2002 Sukma Games, Marketing, Logo
The logo of the 2002 Sukma Games is an athlete in action. The circle represents the national integration through sports, the blue line that resembles the Mount Kinabalu represents the skill of the participating athletes, the yellow circle that resembles the sun represents hope and determination of athletes to succeed, while the red S represents the fighting spirit and energy of the athlete, the Sukma Games and Sabah itself and the colours on the logo represents Sabah as the state of Malaysia.


2002 Sukma Games, Marketing, Mascot
The Mascot of the 2002 Sukma Games is a Proboscis monkey named Bayau. It is said that the Proboscis monkey is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to the south-east Asian island of Borneo. In Sabah, it can be found in Sukau, Sg. Segama, Klias and other places in small population. Apart from having a large body size, it can swing fast from tree to tree and swimming. The adoption of the proboscis monkey is to promote eco-tourism and to create awareness about the animal.


2002 Sukma Games, Marketing, Songs
The theme song of the 2002 Sukma Games is "Gemilang Di Alaf Baru" which means, Glory in the New Century and is eponymous to the games theme.


2002 Sukma Games, Broadcasting
Radio Televisyen Malaysia was responsible for live streaming of several events, opening and closing ceremony of the games.


2002 Sumatra earthquake
The 2002 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 01:26 UTC on 2 November. It had a magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale with an epicenter just north of Simeulue island and caused three deaths. This earthquake is regarded as a foreshock of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had an epicenter about 60 km to the northwest.


2002 Sumatra earthquake, Tectonic setting
The island of Sumatra lies on the convergent plate boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The convergence between these plates is highly oblique near Sumatra, with the displacement being accommodated by near pure dip-slip faulting along the subduction zone, known as the Sunda megathrust, and near pure strike-slip faulting along the Great Sumatran fault. The major slip events on the subduction zone interface are typically of megathrust type. Historically, great or giant megathrust earthquakes have been recorded in 1797, 1833, 1861, 2004, 2005 and 2007, most of them being associated with devastating tsunamis. Smaller (but still large) megathrust events have also occurred in the small gaps between the areas that slip during the larger events, in 1935, 1984, 2000 and 2002.


2002 Sumatra earthquake, Damage
The greatest effects were felt on the island of Simeulue, where 994 buildings were damaged, three people died and 65 were injured. The earthquake was also felt at Tapaktuan (VI (Strong), Meulaboh and Singkil (V (Moderate) in the Aceh province of Sumatra.


2002 Sumatra earthquake, Characteristics
The rupture area of the 2002 earthquake lies at the boundary between the rupture areas of the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes, as determined by the uplift patterns of coral microatolls. From its proximity to the epicenter of the 2004 earthquake, it is regarded as a foreshock of that event. Microatolls around Simeulue show evidence of uplift as a result of the 2002 event, distinct from the uplift caused by the 2004 event. Waveforms from this earthquake have been used to model the propagation of Rayleigh waves during the 2004 earthquake, using an empirical Green's function analysis.


2002 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2002 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 1–5 at the Lakefront Arena at the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.


2002 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The top-seed in the East division Western Kentucky defeated West division top-seed Louisiana–Lafayette in the championship game, 76–70, to win their fourth Sun Belt men's basketball tournament.


2002 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Hilltoppers, in turn, received an automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Tournament as the #9 seed in the Midwest region. No other Sun Belt members earned bids to the tournament.


2002 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All eleven participating Sun Belt members were seeded based on regular season conference records, with the five highest-seeded teams were awarded byes into the quarterfinal round while the six lowest-seeded teams entered the bracket in the preliminary first round.


2002 Sun Belt Conference football season
The 2002 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 2nd college football season for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 2002 season, seven schools competed in Sun Belt football: Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State and North Texas.


2002 Sun Belt Conference football season
The conference title was won by North Texas, in its second year as both a Sun Belt member, making them the first team to go back-to-back in Sun Belt Conference history.


2002 Sun Belt Conference football season, Coaches
Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season


2002 Sun Belt Conference football season, Bowl games
In 2002, the SBC placed one team in bowl games through their tie-ins: North Texas. New MExico State was also bowl-eligible but did not receive a bowl invitation.


2002 Sun Bowl
The 2002 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl featured the Purdue Boilermakers, and the Washington Huskies. This game was a rematch of the 2001 Rose Bowl.


2002 Sun Bowl
Washington scored first when quarterback Cody Pickett threw a 7-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Patrick Reddick for an early 7–0 lead. 2 minutes later, linebacker Marquis Cooper recovered a fumble and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown doubling the lead to 14–0. a 38-yard John Anderson field goal increased the lead to 17–0, which closed out the 1st quarter scoring.


2002 Sun Bowl
In the second quarter, quarterback Kyle Orton found wide receiver John Standeford for a 7-yard touchdown pass, to put Purdue on the scoreboard down 17–7. Just before halftime, Washington fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Ray Williams in the end zone for a touchdown, making the halftime score 17–14.


2002 Sun Bowl
In the third quarter, Berin Lacevic kicked a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 17. Running back Joey Harris later scored on a 10-yard touchdown run for Purdue, giving Purdue its first lead at 24–17. On Washington's next possession, they fumbled again, and Gilbert Gardner ran it in 19 yards for a touchdown, and Purdue increased its lead to 31–17.


2002 Sun Bowl
A 29-yard field goal in the 4th quarter by Purdue made the lead 34–17, and Purdue had scored 17 unanswered points. Washington got on the board one last time after Cody Pickett found Patrick Reddick for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the final margin 34–24, which was also the final score of the 2001 Rose Bowl just with Washington winning that game.


2002 Sunderland City Council election
The 2002 Sunderland Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.


2002 Sunderland City Council election, Campaign
66 candidates contested the 25 seats that were available in the election. The election was said to be the "first time in recent memory" that every seat that was up for election was contested. Candidates included 6 from the British National Party and an independent, former Conservative group leader Ron Smith, in Pallion ward.


2002 Sunderland City Council election, Campaign
Postal voting in the election was up on the 2001 general election with 9,770 postal votes returned by 1 May, an increase of 3,500 on the general election.


2002 Sunderland City Council election, Election result
The results saw Labour easily holding control of the council after losing just 1 seat in the election. The only change came in St Peter's ward with the Conservatives gaining the seat from Labour. Meanwhile, none of the British National Party candidates managed to win a seat, but the party did come second in 2 wards, Town End Farm and Southwick. The results meant Labour held 62 seats after the election, compared to 11 for the Conservatives.


2002 Sunderland City Council election, Election result
Following the election the Labour leader of the council for the previous 3 years, Colin Anderson, was defeated in a leadership election by Bob Symonds.


2002 Super 12 season
The 2002 Super 12 season was the seventh season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2002, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals, with the first placed team playing the fourth and the second placed team playing the third. The winner of each semi final qualified for the final, which was contested by the Crusaders and the Brumbies at Jade Stadium, Christchurch. The Crusaders won 31 – 13 to win their fourth Super 12 title.


2002 Super Fours
The 2002 Super Fours was the inaugural cricket Super Fours tournament. It took place in May and June and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league. The tournament was conceived as a way of bridging the gap between women's county cricket and international cricket, and preparing players for the upcoming England internationals. Braves were the first winners of the competition, winning four out of six games.


2002 Super Fours, Competition format
Teams played each other twice in a round-robin format, with the winners of the group winning the tournament. Matches were played using a one day format with 50 overs per side.


2002 Super Fours, Competition format
The group worked on a points system with positions within the divisions being based on the total points. 12 points were awarded for a win.


2002 Super League Grand Final
The 2002 Super League Grand Final was the Fifth official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League VII. Held on Saturday 19 October 2002 at Old Trafford, Manchester, the game was played between St. Helens and Bradford Bulls. Refereed by Russell Smith, the match was seen by a crowd of 61,138 and was won by St Helens 19 - 18.


2002 Super League Grand Final, Background, Route to the Final, St Helens
St Helens, by finishing top of the table automatically qualified for the play-off semi-final where they were drawn at home to Bradford. A surprising loss saw Saints have to go the long route to the grand final by playing bitter rivals Wigan Warriors in the elimination semi-final; a match they won 24–8 to set up another game against Bradford.


2002 Super League Grand Final, Background, Route to the Final, Bradford Bulls
Bradford as the team finishing second in the season also qualified for the play-off semi-final where they had to travel to St Helens. A close fought game saw Bradford win 28–26 to go straight through to the grand final.


2002 Superbike World Championship
The 2002 Superbike World Championship was the fifteenth FIM Superbike World Championship season. The season started on 2 March at Valencia and finished on 29 September at Imola after 13 rounds.


2002 Superbike World Championship
Colin Edwards won his second championship in what has been hailed as one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of motorcycle racing. The season started with Troy Bayliss winning the first six races and by the end of race 1 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca he had 14 wins and was leading the championship by 58 points.


2002 Superbike World Championship
Race 2 at Laguna Seca was the start of Colin Edwards' comeback, he went on to win all nine remaining races and combined with a race 2 crash for Bayliss at Assen Edwards won the championship at the final race of the season at Imola. The final race of the season saw both riders fighting wheel to wheel for the entire race. The race is known to fans as the "Showdown at Imola".


2002 Supercopa de España
The 2002 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 18 August and 25 August 2002. It contested by Deportivo La Coruña, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2001–02, and Valencia, who won the 2001–02 Spanish League.


2002 Supercoppa Italiana
The 2002 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the 2001–02 Serie A winner, and Parma, the 2001–02 Coppa Italia winner. It was the fifth appearance for Juventus (2 victories in 1995 and 1997) and the fourth for Parma (victory in 1999). The teams had already faced each other in the 1995 Supercoppa. The match was played in Tripoli, Libya and was only the second Supercoppa Italiana to be played outside of Italy, after the 1993 edition in the United States.


2002 Supercupa României
The 2002 Supercupa României was the 6th edition of Romania's season opener cup competition. The match was played in Bucharest at Stadionul Național on 10 August 2002, and was contested between Divizia A title holders Dinamo București and Cupa României champions Rapid București. Rapid won the trophy.


2002 Superettan, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and Östers IF won the championship.


2002 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
The 2002 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 24th edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the annual Portuguese football season-opening match contested by the winners of the previous season's top league and cup competitions (or cup runner-up in case the league- and cup-winning club is the same). The match took place on the 18 August 2002 at the Estádio do Bonfim in Setúbal, and was contested between 2001–02 Primeira Liga and 2001–02 Taça de Portugal winners Sporting CP, and cup runners-up Leixões. This competition is notable as this would be the only silverware Cristiano Ronaldo won with Sporting before his transfer to Manchester United less than a year later.


2002 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
Played in front of a crowd of 6,000, the Leões defeated the Heróis do Mar 5–1. Goals in either half from attacking midfielder Ricardo Fernandes, strikes from Sporting strikers Marius Niculae and Vitali Kutuzov, and an 87th-minute goal from Carlos Martins saw Sporting CP defeat the opposition comfortably and raise the club's tally to five trophies in this competition.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500
The 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 14 September 2002 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England in front of an estimated crowd of 38,000 people. It was the 15th round of the 2002 CART season, the second Rockingham 500, and the only race of the year to be held in Europe. Team Green driver Dario Franchitti won the 211-lap race starting from fifth position. Cristiano da Matta finished second for Newman/Haas Racing, and Forsythe Racing's Patrick Carpentier was third.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500
Kenny Bräck won the pole position and maintained his advantage heading into the first lap. He led for a total of 134 laps, more than any other competitor. Franchitti employed a strategy that enabled him to drive in clean air while other drivers made pit stops. Bräck reclaimed the lead for the lap-163 restart, but lost it six laps later when a crew member dropped a wheel nut, which cost him time. Franchitti took the lead and held it for the remainder of the event to achieve his third victory of the season, his first on an oval track, and the tenth of his CART career. There were five cautions and nine lead changes during the course of the race.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500
The result put da Matta 58 points ahead of Bruno Junqueira in the Drivers' Championship. Franchitti maintained third place but was closer to Junqueira, with Carpentier and Christian Fittipaldi fourth and fifth. Toyota extended their advantage over Honda in the Manufacturers' Championship while Ford Cosworth remained in third, with four races left in the season. The race attracted 60 million worldwide television viewers. It was the final United Kingdom CART race to be held at Rockingham Motor Speedway as it moved to Brands Hatch, Kent in 2003.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
The Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was confirmed as part of CART's 2002 schedule in November 2001. It was the 15th of 19 scheduled races by CART, and was held on 14 September at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. It was the second consecutive year the race was held at Rockingham, and the only event of 2002 to be held in Europe. It was expected that the race would be attended by 52,000 people, the track's maximum capacity. The track is a four-turn 1.479-mile (2.380 km) oval that has banking of up to 7.9 degrees.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
Before the race, Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta led the Drivers' Championship with 175 points, ahead of Bruno Junqueira in second, and Dario Franchitti in third. Patrick Carpentier was fourth on 101 points, and Christian Fittipaldi was a further three points behind in fifth. Toyota led the Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points, Honda were second on 214 points, and Ford Cosworth were in third on 178.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
Following the cancellation of the German 500 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz due to financial difficulties, it was announced that the race at Rockingham was going ahead as scheduled. David Grace, the track's chief executive, invited German CART fans to attend the Rockingham 500. Franchitti, considered by the media to be the pre-race favourite, said a victory at Rockingham would be the highlight of his season and that he wanted to entertain the spectators. Having finished second in the 2001 race, Kenny Bräck stated his belief he could continue his good run of results in Europe and wanted competitive racing.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
Da Matta said his team had made a large number of adjustments to his car's setup on ovals and hoped his vehicle would be better than it was in Motegi. He spoke of his belief the race was important and wanted to finish in the first three. Carpentier said although he was disappointed with his 2001 result at the track, he was convinced he could improve his performance.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
One driver made his début at the race. Dale Coyne Racing was formed in what was described as an "all-England" team named Team St. George for a one-race deal with British American Racing Formula One test driver and ASCAR Days of Thunder series competitor Darren Manning. He performed 200 miles (320 km) of shakedown running which included a mandatory 100-mile (160 km) test for rookie drivers observed by former CART driver Nicolas Minassian. Manning said of the decision to drive the team's No. 10 car: "It's something special, a dream come true.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
To drive a Champ Car is a dream in itself, it's really got some horsepower. But the special thing here is to be a part of Team St. George." He commented he wanted to impress other teams but admitted to having a disadvantage in that he had not competed in the series beforehand.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Background
After heavy rain resulted in drainage problems that affected the previous year's event, workers employed by the track's owners sealed its tarmac surface and added an extra layer of 35 mm (3.5 cm) above it with a sealant allowing for the drainage of standing water. Grace said they had more knowledge of how the track behaved and expected the race to run more smoothly. He noted that people expected more in its second year. Rockingham Motor Speedway's facilities underwent improvements which included the addition of access roads and signage for visiting spectators.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
One 135-minute practice session was held on Friday morning before the Saturday afternoon race. Alex Tagliani was fastest in the session, which took place in dry, warm weather, with a lap of 24.811 seconds; Tora Takagi, da Matta, Franchitti and Carpentier were in second through fifth. Seven yellow caution flags were shown: the first two were for track inspections, the next two were for debris located in turns three and four.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
The fifth caution was for Shinji Nakano who stopped at the bottom of turns three and four with smoke bellowing from his engine and dropped oil on the track that was cleaned. The sixth was caused by Michel Jourdain Jr. whose engine failed and stopped between turns three and four; his car was extricated from the circuit. The last was for Scott Dixon who slowed with a loss of engine power on the backstretch.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
Friday afternoon's qualifying session lasted for 90 minutes. One car was permitted on the track in reverse order of the fastest combined practice laps. Each driver ran two laps, with the starting order determined by their fastest times. The session took place in dry and sunny weather. Bräck set the track speed record at Rockingham Motor Speedway to secure his first pole position of the season, the seventh of his CART career, and his second at the circuit, with a time of 24.908 seconds.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
He was joined on the grid's front row by Michael Andretti who was two-hundredths of a second slower. Da Matta qualified third. He removed his foot from the accelerator pedal driving through the fourth turn. Takagi took fourth, and Franchitti started fifth after steering right to the right of the track on his second lap due to an oversteer that slowed him. Junqueira's car was set up with a large amount of downforce and qualified in sixth. Paul Tracy secured seventh after sliding in the third and fourth turns. Tony Kanaan went into a back-up car and qualified eighth.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
Forsythe Racing teammates Tagliani and Carpentier were ninth and tenth; an electrical problem overheated Carpentier's engine and he was unable to go faster when his blowoff valve opened between the first and second turns. Adrián Fernández was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten; his best lap time was more than two-tenths of a second slower than Bräck. A large amount of oversteer slowed Fittipaldi in turn four and he took 12th.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Practice and qualifying
Jimmy Vasser and Oriol Servià took 13th and 14th positions; Servià's car had oversteer after his first timed lap and entered the pit lane for car adjustments to make him faster on his second attempt. Nakano, 15th, had a plethora of understeer which slowed him in turn four. Dixon moved from his back-up car to his primary vehicle for qualifying and took 16th. Manning, 17th, worked on his race setup though gearbox issues before qualifying prevented his team from focusing on a qualifying tune. Mario Domínguez and Jourdain completed the qualifiers; Jourdain slowed through the third and fourth turns after an oversteer though his reduced speed prevented him from spinning.


2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500, Warm-up
The drivers took to the track at 09:30 British Summer Time (UTC+01:00) for a 30-minute warm-up session in cloudy weather. Andretti continued his strong form by recording the session's fastest lap of 25.205 seconds. Takagi continued to drive quickly and was second-fastest ahead of Carpentier. After the session ended, Franchitti said he felt the race's first laps would be treacherous as the ASCAR support race laid rubber that made the track slippery. He stated his belief that most of the overtaking would occur in the pit lane.