2002–03 S.L. Benfica season
Going into a second year without UEFA competitions, qualifying for Europe was one of the club's top priorities; to improve its competitiveness, Benfica signed some of the best domestic players, Ricardo Rocha and Petit, but also brought back former players, like Hélder and Nuno Gomes. Jesualdo Ferreira remained as manager for his first full season on the club.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season
Benfica's season started with four consecutive victories, to lead the league. In late September, they experienced their first loss and went on a win-less spree that saw them drop to fifth. In November, Benfica won again, but the results remained erratic and after a 7–0 trashing of Paços de Ferreira, they lost to Varzim. A few days later, in the Portuguese Cup, a home loss against Gondomar cost Ferreira his job. Fernando Chalana replaced him for one match, before the appointment of José Antonio Camacho.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season
With the Spaniard in charge, Benfica regained second place and slowly opened a gap over Sporting, eventually finishing with 75 points, qualifying for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. Despite this, Camacho was unable to close the distance to Porto, who finished 11 points ahead. The season was also the last that Benfica played in the original Estádio da Luz, before a new version was built ahead of UEFA Euro 2004. Their final game was on 22 March 2003, with the remaining games being played in the  Estádio Nacional in Oeiras.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
Although he only guided the team to fourth place in the previous campaign, Jesualdo Ferreira remained in charge of the team, with overwhelming support from inside the club, especially from former Director of Football Gaspar Ramos and former President Manuel Dámasio, who said he was "the best solution to lead Benfica". In the transfer season, Maniche and Robert Enke left the club as their contracts expired; the former joined Porto, the latter, Barcelona. Marco Caneira and Edgaras Jankauskas also left, as Benfica did not get their loan deals renewed; with Jankauskas immediately moving to Porto.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
Benfica replaced Jankauskas with Nuno Gomes on a free transfer after the collapse of Fiorentina. Gomes scored 76 goals in his first spell at Benfica; expectations were high, with crowds gathering to see him in training sessions. He joined a depleted attack, which only had the new signing from Porto Miklós Fehér as option, as both Mantorras and Tomo Šokota were injured. The back four was also strengthened, with Benfica bringing back Hélder after six seasons abroad and adding Ricardo Rocha, a young defender from Braga.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
The pre-season began on 9 July with a week of training before the club travelled to Switzerland on the 13th, where they played their first two games of the pre-season, against Étoile Carouge and Auxerre. After a game in Palermo with Inter Milan on 21 July, Benfica returned to Portugal the next day, meeting up with Sporting in the Superbola Trophy on the 28th. With three more matches in early August, including one in the Guadiana Trophy, Benfica closed its season preparation with a match against European champions Real Madrid on 17 August, a week before the first official game.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–October
Benfica started the 2002–03 Primeira Liga campaign at home against Marítimo, scoring twice in the first half, leading to a 3–0 win. The following Saturday, they played Beira-Mar away and won 2–0 after an early lead; according to Manuel Queiroz of Record, despite "dominating in the first half, [Benfica] suffered to retain the lead in the second, with the two nil only arriving right near the end". The club ended the month sharing first place with two other teams, but with a higher goal average than them.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–October
The team began September with a 3–2 away win against Moreirense; Fehér had a decisive influence, earning a penalty and scoring the winner in the 78th minute. Benfica won their fourth consecutive game on 21 September, with a 3–1 win at home against União de Leiria. In the second half, Simão scored his fourth and fifth league goals, unlocking the game that was tied 1–1 at half-time. They ended September with a visit to Estádio da Madeira to play Nacional.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–October
The game ended with a 0–1 loss; according to José Ribeiro writing for Record, "after two warnings in the previous two games, the inevitable happened. With known defensive weaknesses, Benfica was winning because of their players intelligence (Zahovič and Petit) and talent (Simão). Only yesterday, none of that worked, given that Peseiro read the game very well and found Benfica's problems ... ".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–October
Benfica hosted Vitória Setúbal on 5 October, dropping two points in a 1–1 draw, due to a "childish error, or better yet, a lack of sharpness of the back-four", in the words of Ricardo Tavares from Record. On 20 October, Benfica met Porto in Estádio das Antas for the Clássico. It was an intense match, with 3 ejections and 73 fouls. Porto won 2–1 because to António Tadeira, they "reacted better to playing outnumbered, while Benfica lost their focus when Paulo Costa sent off Éder and then Miguel".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–October
Six days later, for the final game of the month, Benfica played Académica at home. The final score of 1–1 was the best possible, because Académica scored the first goal in the 86th minute, giving Benfica only a few minutes to level the game, which Carlitos did in the 90th minute. Benfica ended the month in fifth place, having won only two of nine possible points.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
At the beginning of November, Benfica headed to the Azores to play Santa Clara. They won 2–1 due to a double from Simão. A week later, the team played Paços de Ferreira in the Estádio da Luz. The game ended with a 7–0 win for Benfica; Antonio Tadeia writing for Record said the win "showed that Benfica it is alive and well in the league, even without two internationals, Simão and Petit". On 16 November, Benfica played Varzim away, resulting in a 1–2 loss; Rui Dias wrote for Record that, Varzim "adjusted better to the windstorm night and to the soaking wet field ... taking the initiative in the search for the three points".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
On 24 November, Benfica started the 2002–03 Taça de Portugal by playing Gondomar at home for the fourth round. A 10th-minute goal from Cilio knocked Benfica out of the competition. Tinoco de Faria, the club vice-president, called the defeat "unacceptable"; Jesualdo Ferreira was relieved of his duties the day after. Benfica appointed Fernando Chalana as caretaker until they could agree terms with José Antonio Camacho. On the day Camacho arrived to sign with Benfica, Chalana led the team against Braga at home. He moved Miguel to right-back and started Hélder instead of João Manuel Pinto; Benfica defeated the visitors by 3–0.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
In the opening match of December, Benfica played Gil Vicente at home after rescheduling the game from 29 November to 4 December, because of an imminent players strike during the holidays. They won that match 3–1 with two first-half goals; António Varela wrote that the unpredictability of Simão "unbalanced the opponent and the game"; Benfica climbed to second place before a match against Sporting. On 7 December, Benfica played their last game in the 46-year-old Estádio de Alvalade against city rivals Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
The game ended with a 2–0 win for Benfica, who controlled the game from the beginning; as José Manuel Delgado wrote, " ... the advantage of the visitors starting in the clear superiority of Tiago and Petit in the direct contend with Paulo Bento and Rui Bento, while Zahovic descended to guide the team ... ". A week later, the team played Belenenses at home. Simão scored the sole goal of the game in the 55th minute, helping Camacho to a third consecutive win. During the last game of the month, Benfica played Boavista away, drawing 0–0; José Manuel Delgado at Record criticized the players of both teams for "showing little inspiration and inability to break away from the tight tactical requirements of the game".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
Early in January 2003, Benfica announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Geovanni, on a loan deal from Barcelona until the end of the season. On 11 January, the team played Vitória Guimarães away. The 1–1 draw after 90 minutes was a consequence of the constant interruptions for a large number of fouls signalled by the referee. In the stands, the problematic behaviour of the Benfica supporters group No Name Boys caused the governing body of the Portuguese league to punish both clubs by closing their stadiums for one game each.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
On the following Sunday, Benfica visited the Estádio dos Barreiros for a game against Marítimo, which Benfica won 2–1 after an individual effort from Nuno Gomes in the 74th minute. It was the first win there since 1994–95. After selecting the Estádio Municipal Dr. Alves Vieira in Torres Novas to replace Estádio da Luz, Benfica hosted Beira-Mar on 26 January, winning 1–0 with a goal from Geovanni. Three days later, the team played the second friendly of the month after a 1–1 draw against Ajax a week before. During the game, intended to bring people to Da Luz, Benfica lost 0–1 to Barcelona.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
On 1 February, Benfica played Moreirense at home, drawing 1–1; Rui Dias wrote that the team's overconfidence was the main reason for the draw because they were "unsettled by the lack of space ... they allowed the clock to run, certain a goal would arrive, soon or later". On 8 February, Benfica visited the Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande to play União de Leiria. The final score, 3–0 to Benfica, was the biggest in the Camacho era; António Tadeia, writing for Record, complimented the team for the "more pleasing performance, after the very poor display against Moreirense".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, November–February
The following Sunday, Benfica played Nacional at home. According to Rui Dias' match analysis in Record, the team strong first half " .. left the feeling that two goals were not enough in such a display of power ... ", allowing them to manage the game in the second half, ensuring a 2–0 win and reducing the distance to Porto to 10 points. Benfica won their third consecutive match on 22 February; a 6–2 away win against Vitória Setúbal. The opponents took an early lead in the 18th minute when Pascal scored a goal, and doubled their advantage five minutes later; however, in a strong second half, Benfica overturned the game. Simão scored a hat-trick, aided by Tiago and Tomo Šokota, who also scored goals.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, March–June
On 4 March, Benfica played Porto on the last Clássico to be held at the Estádio da Luz. Porto won 1–0 through Deco's goal, in a match that Manuel Queiroz at Record defined as " ... ending the last doubts of who is the future champion and who is the best team in the league, defeating Camacho's Benfica for the first time ... " Benfica rebounded with an away win against Académica on 15 March, beating them 4–1 in the Municipal José Bento Pessoa in Figueira da Foz. A week later, Benfica had its last game on the old Estádio da Luz before the 49-year-old stadium's demolition, playing against Santa Clara. The match ended in a 1–0 win for Benfica, but António Tadeia described the performance as "colourless".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, March–June
On 5 April, April Benfica played at Estádio da Mata Real against Paços de Ferreira. With three goals in the first half-hour, Benfica secured the lead until the end to gain three points in a 3–1 win. With the league on international break, Benfica played two friendlies abroad; one against Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange and another against Paris Saint-Germain. They resumed their league campaign on 21 April, hosting home games at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras where they met Varzim. Benfica won 2–1; and according to António Magalhães writing for Record, they "wasted a excessive number of opportunities to score". On the following Saturday, Benfica played away to Braga at the Estádio Primeiro de Maio. By winning 3–1, they opened an 11-point gap above third-place Sporting.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, March–June
"Even with adversities on the bench, Benfica attained the great objective of the season; the return to European competitions through the big door – the UEFA Champions League. Against a superior Porto, and with the bizarre elimination at home in the Taça de Portugal, Benfica soon focus on the battle for the second place against Sporting. With three match days to go, the established goal is secured..."


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, March–June
On 3 May, Benfica met Sporting for the second Derby de Lisboa of the season. In the words of António Tadeia, the visitors took on an approach of "ignoring the midfield ... and abusing of the long ball", inflicting a 1–2 loss upon Benfica. A week later, Benfica defeated Belenenses in Restelo, securing the second place in the league with a 4-2 victory and the associated berth to the third qualifying round of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. On 18 May, Benfica played Boavista at home. Camacho changed several players of the starting eleven, but the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Benfica closed the month with a 2–0 away win against Adelino Ribeiro Novo; Rui Dias wrote that Benfica showed "professionalism, despite having nothing to fight for".


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, March–June
Benfica played their last game of the season on 1 June at home against Vitória Guimarães, winning 4–0; Féher scored a hat-trick. Benfica finished in second place after the 34-game season with 23 wins, six draws and five losses for a total of 75 points. They scored 74 goals, the most in the league, and conceded 27, the second-lowest league-wide. Simão was the joint highest scorer in the Primeira Liga, with 18 goals, equal to Beira-Mar's Faye Fary; the latter took the Bola de Prata award due to having played fewer games.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Player statistics
The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as managers Jesualdo Ferreira and José António Camacho. Ljubinko Drulović took over the captaincy from Robert Enke.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Player statistics
Note 1: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 S.L. Benfica season, Player statistics
Note 2: Players with squad numbers marked ‡ joined the club during the 2002–03 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.


2002–03 S.S. Lazio season
The 2002–03 season was the 103rd season in Società Sportiva Lazio's history and their 15th consecutive season in the top-flight of Italian football. Under new manager Roberto Mancini, Lazio finished 4th in Serie A and reached the semi-finals of both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup.


2002–03 SC Bastia season
French football club SC Bastia's 2002–03 season. Finished 12th place in league. Top scorer of the season, including 10 goals in 10 league matches have been Florian Maurice. Was eliminated to Coupe de France end of 64, the Coupe de la Ligue was able to be among the final 32 teams.


2002–03 SC Bastia season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 SK Rapid Wien season
The 2002–03 SK Rapid Wien season is the 105th season in club history.


2002–03 SM-liiga season
The 2002-03 SM-liiga season was the 28th season of the SM-liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland. 13 teams participated in the league, and Tappara Tampere won the championship.


2002–03 SV Werder Bremen season
SV Werder Bremen retained its 6th place in Bundesliga with a solid season, in spite of key players Frank Rost and Torsten Frings leaving prior to the season. Coach Thomas Schaaf bought Johan Micoud as replacement for Frings, with the French ex-Parma player making an instant impact in Germany, while Ailton once again hit 16 goals, finishing third in the goal scoring charts.


2002–03 SV Werder Bremen season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 SV Werder Bremen season, Players, Reserve team
Werder Bremen's reserve team were managed by Thomas Wolter and finished 6th in the Regionalliga Nord.


2002–03 SV Werder Bremen season, Players, Reserve team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Sacramento Kings season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Kings' 54th season in the National Basketball Association, and 18th season in Sacramento. The Kings were coming off their controversial Western Conference Finals defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the series in seven games. During the offseason, the Kings signed free agent Keon Clark and later on in December signed Jim Jackson.


2002–03 Sacramento Kings season
Throughout the season, none of the Kings' players played a full season via suspension or injury, but they still managed to post a 59–23 record, two games less than their previous output in which they went 61–21, thus repeating as Pacific Division Champions once again. Bobby Jackson was named Sixth Man of The Year.


2002–03 Sacramento Kings season
After easily dispatching the Utah Jazz in five games in the first round, the team started to look like a title contender, but in Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, their title hopes took a serious blow when star forward Chris Webber suffered a knee injury while trying to catch a lob pass from teammate Mike Bibby, ending his season. Webber's knee required microfracture surgery in the following off-season. Without their team captain and MVP, the Kings lost the series in seven games. Following the season, Hedo Türkoğlu was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, Scot Pollard was traded to the Indiana Pacers, Clark was dealt to the Utah Jazz, and Jackson signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets.


2002–03 Sacramento Kings season
Webber and Peja Stojaković were both voted to play in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta. However, this time, Stojakovic was the only team representative as Webber was forced to withdraw due to a sprained ankle in a home loss against the Utah Jazz. Head coach Rick Adelman was selected to coach the Western Conference All-Stars.


2002–03 Sacramento Kings season
For the season, the team sported new uniforms which would remain until 2008.


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 36th season of the franchise, 30th in San Antonio, and 27th in the National Basketball Association. This was also the Spurs' first season playing at the SBC Center (now AT&T Center). During the offseason, the team signed free agent Kevin Willis, traded for Speedy Claxton and Steve Kerr, and welcomed Argentinian future star Manu Ginóbili (drafted by the team in 1999) for his first NBA season. The Spurs played strong basketball, posting a nine-game winning streak at midseason, then winning eleven straight games near the end of the season.


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season
The Spurs would win 60 games for only the second time in franchise history, finishing with a league-best 60–22 record, as they attempted to win a second title in longtime star David Robinson's final season. The season saw Tim Duncan earn his second consecutive NBA MVP Award, and appear in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. Second-year guard Tony Parker showed improvement, averaging 15.5 points per game. Rookie Manu Ginóbili was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. This season marked the official beginning of the Big Three era, and the end of the Twin Towers era. The trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginóbili would lead the Spurs to win 3 more championships (2005, 2007, and 2014).


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season
In the first round of the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns after losing Game 1 in overtime, then defeated the defending three-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals in six games. In the Western Conference Finals, they defeated the Dallas Mavericks to advance to the NBA Finals, where they beat the New Jersey Nets in six games and won their second championship. Following the season, Stephen Jackson signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, Steve Smith signed with the New Orleans Hornets, and Robinson and Danny Ferry retired. It was also Steve Kerr's last season as an NBA player.


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season
For the season, the Spurs changed their logo, which remained in use until 2017.


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season
Because of their dominant regular and postseason performance, as well as Duncan's individual achievements, this San Antonio Spurs team is widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.


2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season, NBA Finals, Summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.


2002–03 San Diego Toreros men's basketball team
2002–03 San Diego Toreros men's basketball team represented University of San Diego during the 2002–03 men's college basketball season. They received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the first round to Stanford.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season
The 2002–03 San Jose Sharks season was the Sharks' twelfth season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sharks placed 14th in the Conference and did not qualify for the playoffs.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season, Regular season
After 24 games and an 8–12–2–2 record, Darryl Sutter was fired. One game was coached by Cap Raeder before Ron Wilson, the former coach of the Washington Capitals was hired. Wilson was not able to guide the team to the playoffs and finished with a 19-25-7-6 record for the season.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season, Regular season
Captain Owen Nolan is traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season, Regular season
The Sharks' penalty kill struggled, as they finished 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 81.01%.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2002–03 San Jose Sharks season, Playoffs
The Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season, thus ending their five-year playoff streak. This would also be the last time the Sharks missed the playoffs until the 2014-15 season.


2002–03 Santosh Trophy
The 2002–03 Santosh Trophy was the 58th Santosh Trophy. It was held from 17 October up to 5 November 2002 in Imphal, Manipur.


2002–03 Santosh Trophy
32 teams from all over India were supposed to participate in the national state championship but three states pulled out. The final was held between hosts Manipur and defending champions Kerala, which Manipur won through a golden goal by Indian international Tomba Singh.


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds
Venues: Mapal Kangjeibung Stadium Main Stadium Kuman Lampak Eastern Sporting Union Ground Thangmeiband Athletic Union Ground


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster I
18-Oct-02: Jammu & Kashmir 4-0 Rajasthan  [3,83 Deepak Sangral, 62 Rakhesh, 87 Manat Kumar]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster I
20-Oct-02: Bengal          7-0 Rajasthan  [ 14,40,73,80 Dipendu Biswas, 37 Sandip Das, 41,51 Amar Pyne]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster I
22-Oct-02: Bengal          5-0 Jammu & Kashmir  [ 3,24,67 Dipendu Biswas, 64 Surya Bikash Chakraborty, 83 Anupam Sarkar]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster II
18-Oct-02: Chandigarh      1-2 Meghalaya  [C: 58 Munish Kumar; M: 17 Richard Nongneng, 43 Soki Lamara]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster II
20-Oct-02: Maharashtra     2-0 Chandigarh  [70 Naushad Moosa, 77 Aziz Quereshi]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster II
22-Oct-02: Maharashtra     3-2 Meghalaya  [Ma: 51 Aziz Quereshi, 71 Anthony Fernandes, 78 Altafuddin Ahmed; Me: 72 Sam Kharbhi, 77 Freddy Kharpran]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster III
18-Oct-02: Mizoram         2-1 Madhya Pradesh  [ Mi: 10 Joseph Lalnunzira, 48 Benjamin Zonunsiama; MP: 67 Rahamat Baig]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster IV
17-Oct-02: Manipur         8-0 Himachal Pradesh  [36,51,70,83 Bijen Singh, 43 Kanta Singh, 55 Helen Singh, 62 Tomba Singh, 86 Tiken Singh]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster IV
22-Oct-02: Manipur         9-0 Pondicherry   [1 Sanaton Singh, 3,44,70,87 Tiken Singh, 40,41 Bijen Singh, 50 James Singh, 72 Nilakumar Singh]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster V
18-Oct-02: Assam           3-0 Andhra Pradesh  [36 Utpal Basumatary, 44 Kamal Chetry, 90 Padum Brpha]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster V
23-Oct-02: Bihar           0-3 Assam  [6 Utpal Basumatary, 58 Saran Sonar, 79 Sanjiva Rongpi]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VI
19-Oct-02: Services        5-0 Uttar Pradesh  [ 26,40,45 Pritam Bahadur, 49 Bikash Gurung, 60 Thiruna Vakarsu]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VI
21-Oct-02: Sikkim          3-0 Uttar Pradesh  [34 Milan Lepcha, 44 Kamal Bagdas, 89 Ram Rai]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VI
23-Oct-02: Services        3-0 Sikkim  [39 Jhoney P Gangmei, 56 Pritam Bahadur, 57 Raghu Kumar]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VII
19-Oct-02: Karnataka       4-1 Tripura  [K: 11 SK Dayanand, 68 Jagadish Kumar, 76 Sunil S Kumar, 90 BV Pradeep; T: 21 Sambhu Saha]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VII
21-Oct-02: Tripura         4-1 Gujarat  [T: 10 Swapan Rai, 48 Sambhu Saha, 53,64 Premjit Singh Barua; G: 56 Ranjit Sisodiya]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VII
21-Oct-02: Haryana         0-2 Karnataka  [29 SK Dayanand, 75 Gregory Clarke]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VII
23-Oct-02: Karnataka       6-0 Gujarat  [34 Sunil S Kumar, 52,72 BV Pradeep, 62,79 SK Dayanand, 60 Kanika Raj]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VII
23-Oct-02: Tripura         2-1 Haryana  [T: 37,77 Swapan Rai; H: 30 Satya Singh]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VIII
21-Oct-02: Nagaland        1-1 Delhi  [N: 90 Vizo Peseyie; D: 45 Rajesh Arya]


2002–03 Santosh Trophy, Qualifying rounds, Cluster VIII
23-Oct-02: Orissa          3-0 Nagaland  [38,86 Gyanaranjan, 66 Bhabani Prasad Mohanty]


2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup
The 2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup was the 12th season of the competition, competed for by all 30 members of the Scottish Football League. The defending champions were Airdrieonians, who defeated Alloa Athletic 2–1 in the 2001 final.


2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup
The final was played on 20 October 2002, between Queen of the South and Brechin City at Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld. Queen of the South won 2–0, to win the competition for the first time.


2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup, First round
Alloa Athletic and Clyde received random byes into the second round.


2002–03 Scottish Cup
The 2002–03 Scottish Cup was the 118th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Tennent's Scottish Cup. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Dundee in the final.


2002–03 Scottish First Division
The 2002–03 Scottish First Division was won by Falkirk. However, they were not promoted to the SPL because their stadium, Brockville Park, did not meet SPL criteria. Alloa Athletic and Arbroath were relegated to the Second Division.


2002–03 Scottish First Division, Attendances
The average attendances for Scottish First Division clubs for season 2002/03 are shown below:


2002–03 Scottish Football League
Statistics of the Scottish Football League in season 2002–03. The season saw two new teams, as Airdrie United and Gretna replaced  Clydebank and Airdrieonians.


2002–03 Scottish Inter-District Championship
The 2002–03 Scottish Inter-District Championship was a rugby union competition for Scotland's professional district teams. With the re-emergence of the Border Reivers professional team and the collapse of the Welsh-Scottish League to make way for a shortened Celtic League, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) reinstated the Scottish Inter-District Championship for the professional sides. Glasgow, Borders and Edinburgh then fought it out in a renamed Pro Cup sponsored by Bank of Scotland.


2002–03 Scottish Inter-District Championship
The Bank of Scotland Pro Cup lasted one year. When the Celtic League was expanded the following year the SRU realised that there was no room in the schedule for a separate Scottish Inter-District Championship. This was despite both sponsor and fans happiness with the return of a national tournament. (The desire for national bragging rights later led the SRU to establish the 1872 Cup in 2007-08 season using the Celtic League matches to determine the winner.)


2002–03 Scottish League Cup
The 2002–03 Scottish League Cup was the 57th staging of the Scotland's second most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the CIS Insurance Cup.


2002–03 Scottish League Cup
The competition was won by Rangers, who defeated Celtic 2–1 in the Final.


2002–03 Scottish Men's National League season
The 2002–03 season was the 34th campaign of the Scottish Men's National League, the national basketball league of Scotland. The season featured 10 teams; from the previous season, Arbroath Musketeers and East Lothian Peregrines joined the league and Aberdeen Buccaneers did not return. City of Edinburgh Kings won their first league title.


2002–03 Scottish Men's National League season, Teams
The line-up for the 2002–03 season featured the following teams:


2002–03 Scottish Premier League
The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League (known as the 2002–03 Bank of Scotland Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the Scottish Premier League (SPL), the top level of football in Scotland. It began on 3 August 2002 and concluded on 25 May 2003.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League
Celtic were the defending champions, but were beaten to the title by Rangers on the final day of the season. This was Rangers' 50th Scottish league title. Both clubs went into the final matchday on the same number of points and with the same goal difference – Rangers were ahead in the table having scored more goals. On the final day, Rangers beat Dunfermline Athletic 6–1 at Ibrox Stadium while Celtic could only win 4–0 at Kilmarnock, meaning Rangers won the title by a goal difference of one more than Celtic. This was the closest finish in the history of the SPL.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Changes from 2001–02 season, Broadcasting rights
Between 1998–99 and 2001–02, exclusive television rights for live Scottish Premier League matches were held by Sky Sports. In January 2002, the SPL rejected a £45 million offer from Sky Sports and began considering setting up its own pay-per-view channel, dubbed "SPL TV". However, these plans broke down in April 2002 when the Old Firm clubs – Rangers and Celtic – utilised the 11–1 voting system to veto the proposals. This caused discontent among the remaining ten SPL clubs, which subsequently announced their intention to resign from the league.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Changes from 2001–02 season, Broadcasting rights
Despite a two-year television deal being agreed with BBC Scotland in July 2002 for a significant amount less than previously offered by Sky Sports, the ten non-Old Firm clubs confirmed their resignation from the SPL in August 2002, citing discontent with the voting system. The ten clubs withdrew their resignations in January 2003 after an agreement was reached to change some of the voting procedures and to change the distribution of TV revenue.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Changes from 2001–02 season, Broadcasting rights
The withdrawal of Sky Sports' interest in the league caused several clubs to experience financial problems, with Hearts and Kilmarnock announcing debts of £3.8 million and £3.5 million, respectively, and Rangers' debt reportedly rising to £77 million.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Changes from 2001–02 season, Broadcasting rights
Motherwell seemed to be affected immediately by the lack of income, entering this season in administration and releasing 19 of their playing staff at the end of the previous season.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Changes from 2001–02 season, European berths
Results in European competition over the previous five years saw the league move up from 16th to 12th in the UEFA country coefficient ranking. This meant that the league earned a second berth in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds for the following season.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Teams
Twelve clubs would compete in the league this season – the top 11 clubs of the previous season, and the champions of the 2001–02 First Division.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Teams
St Johnstone were relegated to the First Division after five seasons in the top league on 6 April 2002, a draw with Motherwell leaving them 14 points adrift at the bottom with only 4 matches left to play.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Teams
They were replaced by Partick Thistle, the champions of the First Division. They secured their second successive promotion and a place in the top flight with a victory over St Mirren on 13 April 2002. This would be their debut season in the SPL and their first season in the top league since the 1995–96 season.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
2002–03 was a successful season for Rangers, who won a domestic treble. They and Celtic competed in a very closely fought title race. Rangers were five points clear of Celtic at the time of the split, but a Celtic victory in the Old Firm derby and Rangers dropping further points against Dundee in the following match left the rivals level on points and on goal difference going into the final day of the season; Rangers were only ahead having scored 95 goals to Celtic's 94.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
On the final day, Rangers beat Dunfermline Athletic 6–1 at Ibrox Stadium while Celtic could only win 4–0 at Kilmarnock, meaning Rangers won the title by a goal difference of one more than Celtic (a stoppage-time penalty made the outcome more secure for Rangers – they would still have won at 5–1 by the margin of two more goals scored, but until that point Celtic would have claimed the title by goal difference had they scored again). This was the closest finish in the history of the SPL.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
Celtic striker Chris Sutton sparked controversy by accusing the Dunfermline players of "lying down" to allow Rangers to win the title, a comment which sparked a furious response and the threat of legal action from Dunfermline. Celtic had a more successful season in Europe, reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, but eventually lost to Porto after extra-time in Seville, just four days before the final match of the league season. However, it would ultimately be the first season of Martin O'Neill's reign which ended without a trophy for Celtic.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
Hearts qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Cup after finishing third in the league, but finished 34 points behind the Old Firm. Dundee also qualified for the UEFA Cup in Jim Duffy's first season in charge by reaching the 2003 Scottish Cup Final, despite losing the final to Rangers.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
In the bottom half of the table, Eddie Thompson took over as chairman of Dundee United but it would statistically be the club's worst season since World War II at that point, with the team finishing 11th in the league, and sacking two managers. They spent the season in a battle with Motherwell to avoid finishing bottom of the league. Following their entry into administration at the end of the previous season, Motherwell released 19 players before this season and struggled throughout the season, eventually being confirmed as the bottom team on 17 May 2003, following a 3–2 defeat to Aberdeen.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
Falkirk became champions of the First Division in April 2003, but their Brockville Park stadium did not have the SPL minimum required 10,000 seats, a problem which prevented their possible promotion to the league only three seasons earlier. With plans to demolish the stadium and build a new stadium, Falkirk proposed a ground-share of Airdrie United's Excelsior Stadium. On 23 May 2003, the twelve members of the SPL voted against admitting Falkirk to the league.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Overview
After a lengthy appeals process with the Scottish Football Association, including a situation where the following season's fixture list was released and the draw for the 2003–04 Scottish Challenge Cup was made without knowing all of the participants (the fixture list and cup draw referring to Motherwell or Falkirk's place as "Club X"), it was confirmed that Falkirk would not be accepted into the SPL, sparing Motherwell from relegation.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Format
In the initial phase of the season, each of the twelve teams play the other eleven teams three times. After 33 rounds, the league splits into two sections, a top six and a bottom six, with each team playing all the other teams in their section once. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section have played each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this is impossible. A total of 228 matches will be played, with 38 matches played by each team.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Results, Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Results, Matches 23–33
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either at home or away).


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Results, Matches 34–38
During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once.


2002–03 Scottish Premier League, Attendances
The average attendances for SPL clubs during the 2002/03 season are shown below:


2002–03 Scottish Second Division
The 2002–03 Scottish Second Division was won by Raith Rovers who, along with second placed Brechin City, were promoted to the First Division. Stranraer and Cowdenbeath were relegated to the Third Division.


2002–03 Scottish Second Division, Attendance
The average attendance for Scottish Second Division clubs for season 2002/03 are shown below:


2002–03 Scottish Third Division
The 2002–03 Scottish Third Division was won by Greenock Morton who, along with second placed East Fife, gained promotion to the Second Division. East Stirlingshire finished bottom.


2002–03 Scottish Third Division, Events
In the course of a 3-1 loss to Albion Rovers, East Stirlingshire used four goalkeepers. Starting keeper Chris Todd was taken off injured after only seven minutes to be replaced by Scott Findlay who was sent off for fouling John Bradford 40 yards from goal eight minutes into the second half. Findlay was replaced by Graham McLaren, who was in turn shown the red card when he fouled Charles McLean inside the box to concede a penalty kick. Kevin McCann took over and tipped McLean's penalty effort over the crossbar


2002–03 Scottish Third Division, Attendance
The average attendance for Scottish Third Division clubs for season 2002/03 are shown below:


2002–03 Seattle SuperSonics season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the SuperSonics' 36th season in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Sonics acquired Kenny Anderson and Vitaly Potapenko from the Boston Celtics. The Sonics got off to a solid start winning eight of their first ten games, but then lost six of their next seven games, then posted six-game losing streaks in January and February. At midseason, before the trading deadline, the team traded All-Star point guard Gary Payton and Desmond Mason to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen.


2002–03 Seattle SuperSonics season
More changes continued as Anderson was traded to the New Orleans Hornets for Elden Campbell. The Sonics, now led by the newly acquired Allen, finished the season fifth in the Pacific Division with a 40–42 record, missing the playoffs. Payton also represented the Western Conference for the final time in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. Following the season, Campbell signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons.


2002–03 Second League of Serbia and Montenegro
The 2002–03 Second League of Serbia and Montenegro season (Serbian: Druga Savezna Liga) consisted of four groups of 12 teams.


2002–03 Second League of Serbia and Montenegro
The competition started this season as Second League of FR Yugoslavia. The country changed name from FR Yugoslavia to Serbia and Montenegro on February 4, 2003, and the competition became the Second League of Serbia and Montenegro.


2002–03 Segunda División
The 2002–03 Segunda División season saw 22 teams participate in the second flight Spanish league. The teams that promoted to La Liga were Real Murcia, Real Zaragoza and Albacete Balompié. The teams that relegated to Segunda División B were SD Compostela, Racing de Ferrol, Real Oviedo and CD Badajoz.


2002–03 Segunda División B
The 2002–03 Segunda División B season of began in August 2002 and ended in May 2003.


2002–03 Segunda División B, Group I
Teams from Asturias, Canary Islands, Castile and León, Community of Madrid and Galicia.


2002–03 Segunda División B, Group II
Teams from Aragon, Basque Country, Cantabria, Castilla–La Mancha, La Rioja and Navarre


2002–03 Segunda División B, Group III
Teams from Balearic Islands, Castile and León, Catalonia and Valencian Community


2002–03 Segunda División B, Group IV
Teams from Andalusia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Melilla and Region of Murcia


2002–03 Segunda Divisão B
The 2002–03 Segunda Divisão season was the 69th season of the competition and the 53rd season of recognised third-tier football in Portugal.


2002–03 Segunda Divisão B, Overview
The league was contested by 59 teams in 3 divisions with CD Feirense, Leixões SC and GD Estoril Praia winning the respective divisional competitions and gaining promotion to the Liga de Honra. The overall championship was won by Leixões SC.


2002–03 Segunda Liga
The 2002–03 Segunda Liga season was the 13th season of the competition and the 69th season of recognised second-tier football in Portugal.


2002–03 Segunda Liga, Overview
The league was contested by 18 teams with Rio Ave FC winning the championship and gaining promotion to the Primeira Liga along with FC Alverca and Estrela Amadora. At the other end of the table Leça FC and União Lamas were relegated to the Segunda Divisão along with SC Farense who were relegated for financial reasons.


2002–03 Sepahan F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Sepahan's 2nd season in the Pro League, their 20th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football and 49th year in existence as a football club. They competed in the Hazfi Cup.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup
The 2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup (in fall season FR Yugoslavia Cup) was the eleventh and last under the name FR Yugoslavia and (after was the country renamed in February 2003) first season of the Serbia and Montenegro's annual football cup. The cup defenders (last winners of the FR Yugoslavia Cup) was Red Star Belgrade, but was defeated by FK Sartid in the final.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, First round
Thirty-two teams entered in the First Round. The matches were played on 10, 11 and 18 September 2002.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, First round
1The match was played in Raška. Note : Roman numerals in brackets denote the league tier the clubs participated in the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Second round
The 16 winners from the prior round enter this round. The matches were played on 24 and 25 September 2002.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Second round
Note: Roman numerals in brackets denote the league tier the clubs participated in the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Quarter-finals
The eight winners from the prior round enter this round. The matches were played on 27 November 2002.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Quarter-finals
Note: Roman numerals in brackets denote the league tier the clubs participated in the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Semi-finals
The four winners from the prior round enter this round. The matches were played on 9 April 2003.


2002–03 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, Semi-finals
Note: Roman numerals in brackets denote the league tier the clubs participated in the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Serbian Hockey League season
The 2002–03 Serbian Hockey League season was the 12th season of the Serbian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Serbia. Five teams participated in the league, and HK Vojvodina Novi Sad won the championship.


2002–03 Serie A
The 2002–03 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 101st season of top-tier Italian football, the 71st in a round-robin tournament. It was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988–89.


2002–03 Serie A
The first two teams qualified directly to UEFA Champions League. Teams finishing in third and fourth position had to play Champions League qualifications. Teams finishing in fifth and sixth positions qualified to UEFA Cup (another spot was given to the winner of Coppa Italia). The bottom four teams were to be relegated in Serie B.


2002–03 Serie A
Juventus won its 27th national title, with Internazionale placing second and Milan third. Lazio was admitted to the UEFA Champions League preliminary phase, whereas Parma, Udinese and Roma (through the Coppa Italia finals) obtained a spot to the next UEFA Cup. Brescia and Perugia were admitted to participate in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, after Chievo declined to participate.


2002–03 Serie A
Piacenza, Torino, Como and Atalanta were relegated to Serie B, with the latter after having lost a relegation play-off against Reggina.


2002–03 Serie A, Rule changes
Unlike La Liga, which imposed a quota on the number of non-EU players on each club, Serie A clubs could sign as many non-EU players as available on domestic transfer. But for the 2003–04 season a quota was imposed on each of the clubs limiting the number of non-EU, non-EFTA and non-Swiss players who may be signed from abroad each season, following provisional measures introduced in the 2002–03 season, which allowed Serie A & B clubs to sign only one non-EU player in the 2002 summer transfer window.


2002–03 Serie A (ice hockey) season
The 2002–03 Serie A season was the 69th season of the Serie A, the top level of ice hockey in Italy. Six teams participated in the league, and the HC Milan Vipers won the championship by defeating Asiago Hockey in the final.


2002–03 Serie B
The 2002–03 Serie B was the 71st season since its establishment in 1929. It is the second highest football league in Italy.


2002–03 Serie B, Teams
Livorno, Ascoli, Triestina and Catania had been promoted from Serie C, while Hellas Verona, Lecce, and Venezia had been relegated from Serie A and Fiorentina had lost their national professional licence.


2002–03 Serie C1
The 2002–03 Serie C1 was the twenty-fifth edition of Serie C1, the third highest league in the Italian football league system.


2002–03 Sheffield Shield season
The 2002–03 Sheffield Shield season known as the Pura Cup was the 101st season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. New South Wales won the championship.


2002–03 Sheffield United F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Sheffield United competed in the Football League First Division.


2002–03 Sheffield United F.C. season, Season summary
The season turned out to be one of the most successful in Sheffield United's history. United reached the semi-finals of both the FA and League Cups before being eliminated by Arsenal and Liverpool respectively; both sides went on to win the respective cups. United also managed to qualify for the play-offs for promotion to the Premiership. United reached the play-off final after beating Nottingham Forest over two legs in the semi-final, but were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers.


2002–03 Sheffield United F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Sheffield United F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Sheffield Wednesday competed in the Football League First Division.


2002–03 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season, Season summary
After the Owls made a terrible start to the 2002–03 season, manager Terry Yorath resigned in October and Hartlepool manager Chris Turner - a former Owls goalkeeper - was appointed as his replacement. Turner made a big effort to rejuvenate the side and there were some impressive results during the final weeks of the season, but a failure to beat Brighton in the penultimate game of the season condemned them to relegation.


2002–03 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Sheffield Wednesday F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Shelbourne F.C. season
In the 2002–03 season, Shelbourne finished 2nd in the League of Ireland Premier Division.


2002–03 Shelbourne F.C. season, 2002–03 Squad Members
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Shelbourne F.C. season, Results/League Tables, eircom League Premier Division, League Results summary
Last updated: January 24, 2003. Source: eircom League Premier Division Fixtures


2002–03 Slovak 1. Liga season
The 2002–03 Slovak 1.Liga season was the 10th season of the Slovak 1. Liga, the second level of ice hockey in Slovakia. 12 teams participated in the league, and MHC Nitra won the championship.


2002–03 Slovak Cup
The 2002–03 Slovak Cup was the 34th season of Slovakia's annual knock-out cup competition and the tenth since the independence of Slovakia. It began on 10 September 2002 with Round 1 and ended on 8 May 2003 with the Final. The winners of the competition earned a place in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. Koba Senec were the defending champions.


2002–03 Slovak Cup, First round
The match DAC Dunajská Streda – Matador Púchov was played on 10 September 2002 and the thirteen games were played on 11 September 2002 .


2002–03 Slovak Cup, Second round
The seven games were played on 23 September 2002 and the match ŽP Šport Podbrezová – MFK Myjava/Tura Luka was played on 10 October 2002.


2002–03 Slovak Cup, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 19 March 2003. The second legs were played on 15 and 16 April 2003.


2002–03 Slovak Extraliga season
The Slovak Extraliga 2002–03 was the tenth regular season of the Slovak Extraliga, the top level of professional ice hockey in Slovakia.


2002–03 Slovak Extraliga season, Regular season, Final standings
Key - GP: Games played, W: Wins, OTW: Over time wins, T: Ties, OTL: Over time losses, L: Losses, GF: Goals for, GA: Goals against, PTS: Points.


2002–03 Slovak Extraliga season, Scoring Leaders
Key - GP: Games played, G: Goals, A: Assists, PTS: Points.


2002–03 Slovak Superliga
The 2002–03 Slovak First Football League was the tenth season of first-tier football league in Slovakia, since its establishment in 1993. This season started on 12 July 2002 and ended on 17 June 2003. MŠK Žilina are the defending champions.


2002–03 Slovak Superliga, Teams
A total of 10 teams was contested in the league, including 9 sides from the 2001–02 season and one promoted from the 2. Liga.


2002–03 Slovak Superliga, Teams
Relegation for 1. FC Tatran Prešov to the 2002–03 2. Liga was confirmed on 8 June 2002. The one relegated team were replaced by FC Spartak Trnava.


2002–03 Slovenian Football Cup
The 2002–03 Slovenian Football Cup was the twelfth season of the Slovenian Football Cup, Slovenia's football knockout competition.


2002–03 Slovenian Hockey League season
The 2002–03 Slovenian Ice Hockey League was the 12th season of the Slovenian Hockey League. Olimpija have won the league championships.


2002–03 Slovenian PrvaLiga
The 2002–03 Slovenian PrvaLiga season started on 14 July 2002 and ended on 1 June 2003. Each team played a total of 31 matches.


2002–03 Slovenian Second League
The 2002–03 Slovenian Second League season started on 11 August 2002 and ended on 15 June 2003. Each team played a total of 30 matches.


2002–03 Slovenian Third League
The 2002–03 Slovenian Third League was the 11th season of the Slovenian Third League, the third highest level in the Slovenian football system.


2002–03 South Dakota State Jackrabbits women's basketball team
The 2002–03 South Dakota State Jackrabbits women's basketball represented South Dakota State University in the 2002–03 NCAA Division II women's basketball season. The Jackrabbits, led by third year head coach Aaron Johnston, played their home games in Frost Arena in Brookings, South Dakota, and played as a member of the NCC. They finished the season tied for first place in the NCC losing in the second game of the conference tournament. However, The Jackrabbits won all six of their NCAA tournament games, claiming the NCAA D–II Championship over Northern Kentucky, 65–50.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season
The 2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season was the most active and longest tropical cyclone season since 1997–98, with ten tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. The season started earlier than normal, with two systems developing before the official start of the season on November 1, 2002, while the final system dissipated on June 9, 2003, after the season had officially ended on April 30.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season
During the season, tropical cyclones were officially monitored by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) in Nadi, Fiji and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres in Brisbane, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand. The United States Armed Forces through the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), also monitored the basin and issued unofficial warnings for American interests. RSMC Nadi attaches a number and an F suffix to tropical disturbances that occur within the basin, while the JTWC designates significant tropical cyclones with a number and a P suffix. RSMC Nadi, TCWC Wellington and TCWC Brisbane all use the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale and estimate windspeeds over a ten-minute period, while the JTWC estimates sustained winds over a one-minute period, which are subsequently compared to the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS).


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season
The season began with Tropical Depression 17F on July 3, several months prior to the official start of the season. In late December, the strongest cyclone of the season, Cyclone Zoe severely affected many islands in the South Pacific, particularly the island of Tikopia. Zoe remained the strongest cyclone recorded in the Southern Hemisphere until Winston surpassed. Shortly after, in mid-January, Cyclone Ami struck Fiji as a Category 3 cyclone, where it caused US$51.2 million in damage. Cyclone Erica caused considerable damage to New Caledonia as a Category 4 cyclone, causing numerous power outages.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season
The final storm of the season, Cyclone Gina, formed well outside the bounds of the conventional tropical cyclone season, existing entirely in the month of June and causing some damage to Tikopia. As a result of tropical cyclones in the 2002–03 season, US$67.2 million in damages was caused, along with 20 fatalities.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal forecasts
During November 2002, New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research predicted that there would be an eastwards shift in activity during the season, with more tropical cyclones than normal expected to the east of the date line, due to well established weak to moderate El Niño conditions. As a result, the island nations of Wallis and Futuna, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, and the Southern Cook Islands were predicted to experience a higher than average number of tropical cyclones.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal forecasts
The Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, French Polynesia, New Zealand and the Northern Cook Islands were predicted to experience an average number of tropical cyclones, while Southern Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia were predicted to experience a reduced number of tropical cyclones. In January 2003, NIWA issued an updated outlook, listing the Northern Cook Islands and French Polynesia as areas predicted to experience an above average number of tropical cyclones. In contrast, Vanuatu was predicted to experience below average cyclone activity. The Solomon Islands and Tonga were now predicted to experience a reduced number of tropical cyclones, with all other countries expected to face the same risk as the November outlook.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal summary
After three seasons of below average cyclone activity, the 2002–03 season was slightly above average, featuring ten cyclones and seven severe tropical cyclones. One of the cyclones, Cyclone Erica, originated from the Australian region but later moved into the South Pacific, where it impacted New Caledonia. Throughout the season, a moderately warm El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) generated a shift of cyclone activity away from Australia and towards the open waters of the southern Pacific. As a result, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) between November 2002 and June 2003 was negative, averaging -7.2.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal summary
Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Pacific were above average; for most of the tropical regions, SSTs were above 29 °C (84 °C). At various times, Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) pulses increased convective activity and thus cyclone development in the basin. Five pulses of the MJO and Equatorial Rossby waves (ER) were responsible for most of the cyclone activity during the season. Cyclone Zoe, the strongest cyclone of the season, was the only cyclone with no connection to any identified MJO or ER wave. By April, an easterly trade wind anomaly took place, signifying the end of the El Niño pattern that had persisted for much of the year.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal summary
Over the course of the season, cyclones were active for a total of 40 days, and severe tropical cyclones were active for a total of 19 days, both above average. A total of five tropical disturbances formed during 2002, of which two were cyclones. The first disturbance of the season, Tropical Depression 17F, along with another depression, 01F, formed well before the start of the cyclone season on July 3 and October 21 respectively. Cyclone Yolande was the first cyclone of the season, forming on November 29, but did not impact any land masses. In December, two disturbances formed, Tropical Depression 03F and Cyclone Zoe. The latter was the season's strongest cyclone and the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, affecting areas of the Solomon Islands.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal summary
In the first half of 2003, thirteen disturbances formed, of which eight developed into tropical cyclones; six intensified further and became severe tropical cyclones. January 2003 featured four disturbances and three cyclones. Cyclones Ami and Beni were both severe tropical cyclones, with the first extensively impacting Fiji. The month of February was less active compared to January; only two disturbances formed, Cyclone Dovi and Tropical Disturbance 10F, although Dovi would become a Category 5 cyclone on the Australian cyclone scale.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Seasonal summary
March was slightly more active than February; the month featured three tropical depressions and two severe tropical cyclones, Cyclone Erica and Cyclone Eseta, although Erica originally formed west of 160°E. After an easterly wind anomaly arose in April, cyclone activity was suppressed during the month, totalling three tropical disturbances and one cyclone. In June, Cyclone Gina formed as a result of a strong ER wave and later became a severe tropical cyclone, well after the end of the season. Its dissipation on June 9 marked the end of the cyclone season.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Yolande
Cyclone Yolande developed on November 29 from a broad area of thunderstorms embedded within a monsoonal trough, originating from a westerly wind burst associated with El Niño conditions; the same area of disturbed weather would later generate Typhoon Pongsona on December 2. At the time, the tropical depression was moving towards the southeast, but strong wind shear displaced the cyclone's strongest winds and convection northeast of its circulation center. Convective activity fluctuated under strong diurnal temperature variation. After moving into an area of less wind shear, the system was able to organize and develop good outflow currents.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Yolande
This was reflected with a slight drop in minimum barometric pressure down to 995 mbar (29.4 inHg). As a result, at 2255 UTC on December 4, the depression attained cyclone status and was given the name Yolande, east of Tonga. After being named, Cyclone Yolande began to accelerate into an area of strong wind shear, and convection became increasingly displaced from the center of circulation. By 1200 UTC on December 5, the convection was already sheared 160 km (100 mi) from the northwest of the circulation center, and as such the cyclone was downgraded to depression status.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Yolande
By this time, Yolande had completed a transition into an extratropical cyclone, after interacting with a baroclinic zone to the southwest. Yolande's extratropical remnants continued to track towards the southeast before dissipating entirely on December 11, 2700 km (1700 mi) to the southeast of Papeete, French Polynesia. As a result of remaining at sea, Yolande only caused minimal damage.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe
Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe was the second-most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere in recorded history, severely affecting areas of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Cyclone Zoe developed from the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) on January 23, east of Tuvalu. Initially developing slowly as a tropical depression, the predecessor to Zoe moved toward the west-southwest under the influence of a high-pressure area. However, the storm entered an area of very favorable cyclone conditions. After reaching cyclone strength on December 25, rapid intensification ensued. By the next day, Zoe had already strengthened to a severe tropical cyclone.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe
On December 27, Zoe attained wind speeds equivalent to Category 5 status on both the Australian and Saffir–Simpson hurricane scales. An upper-level trough of low pressure forced Zoe towards the southwest, moving into the vicinity of the Solomon Islands. The next day, Zoe intensified to a record low barometric pressure of 890 mbar (26.28 inHg), with winds of 290 km/h (180 mph). However, conditions would deteriorate, and the cyclone would consequently weaken. By January 1, the storm had already degenerated into an extratropical cyclone, and its remnants dissipated just three days later.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe
Cyclone Zoe severely impacted the islands of the Solomon island chain, particularly the islands of Tikopia and Anuta. In Anuta, agricultural activities were disrupted. Various fruit trees and crops, especially in gardens on the island's hills, were destroyed by high winds and heavy rain. In addition, communications with other islands were disrupted. The impact on Tikopia was much greater; agricultural productivity on the island was said to have been wiped out. Fruit trees were estimated only to begin producing fruit again at least two years after Zoe's impact. Topsoil was left dry by the cyclone, preventing any immediate replacement of lost crops.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Ami
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ami was one of the worst cyclones ever to affect Fiji. Cyclone Ami developed from a low-pressure area east of Tuvalu on January 12. The storm moved slowly towards the southwest early in its existence. Influenced by an upper-level trough, Ami slowed down and began moving towards the south and then southeast. The cyclone attained severe tropical cyclone intensity on January 13. Ami made its first landfall at Vanua Levu, before subsequently making another landfall on Taveuni. Ami reached peak intensity as an equivalent Category 3 cyclone on the Australian cyclone scale on January 14. Accelerating to the southeast, the cyclone began to cross over cool sea surface temperatures and encountered wind shear. Ami transitioned into an extratropical cyclone the day after.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Ami
Cyclone Ami severely impacted parts of Fiji, mainly through flooding. Numerous landslides and power outages were caused by the heavy rains. The damage was particularly severe in Labasa, where the entire city was inundated. Sugar cane production decreased by 15%, and other crops also suffered heavily. In Tonga, damage was not as severe, but two ships were grounded. Ami caused F$104.4 million (US$51.2 million) in damages and 14 deaths, primarily on Fiji. Following the deaths and damage, the name "Ami" was later retired.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Beni
Severe Tropical Cyclone Beni was an intense tropical cyclone that affected areas of the southern Pacific Ocean, particularly in New Caledonia. It developed from a tropical disturbance on January 20 south of the Solomon Islands, and at first moved slowly towards the west. On January 25, the disturbance gained enough strength and organization to be named Beni. It quickly made a clockwise loop, maintaining its intensity, and later headed south. After fluctuating in intensity, Beni entered more conducive conditions and began to strengthen, this time heading southeast.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Beni
Traveling between Vanuatu and New Caledonia, Beni reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 tropical cyclone on January 29, the highest rating on the Australian cyclone scale, with winds of 235 km/h (146 mph). It only maintained this intensity for a short time before an increase in wind shear and less favorable conditions induced its weakening. After nearing Vanuatu, a strengthening ridge forced Beni towards the southwest, away from Vanuatu. The cyclone made its closest approach to the island of New Caledonia on January 30, but only as a marginal Category 1 cyclone. Continuing to weaken under strong wind shear, Beni was downgraded to a tropical depression the same day. After crossing New Caledonia, Beni exited the South Pacific basin and entered the Australian region.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Beni
During Beni's existence, parts of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Queensland were affected by the storm. The cyclone caused flooding and a food shortage in the Solomon Islands. An estimated 2,000 people were evacuated as a result. Rough seas and storm surge, as well as strong gusts, were the primary effects of Beni on Vanuatu and New Caledonia. New Caledonia was hit by power outages, and Vanuatu mainly suffered beach erosion.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Cilla
Cyclone Cilla affected several islands in the South Pacific. The cyclone developed from a monsoon trough on January 26 northwest of Fiji, and initially moved to the east in conditions unfavourable for cyclones. After wind shear lessened, Cilla reached its peak intensity on January 28, attaining maximum winds of 75 km/h (45 mph) sustained over 10 minutes. After slightly weakening, Cilla was able to intensify again to match this intensity on January 29. Strong vertical wind shear conditions then returned, and Cilla transitioned into an extratropical cyclone.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Cilla
Cilla dropped heavy rainfall over islands along its path. As a depression the storm dropped rain over Fiji, which had already been effected by Cyclone Ami just two weeks earlier. Damage in Tonga was mostly limited to vegetation and fruit trees; damage to infrastructure was relatively minor. Rain also fell on American Samoa, although no damage was reported. After the season, the name "Cilla" was retired.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Dovi
Cyclone Dovi developed on February 5 from an area of circulation within the SPCZ near the northern Cook Islands. Dovi therefore saw favourable conditions throughout much of its existence. Due to a mid–level ridge to the east, the cyclone progressed on a southward track. Dovi eventually steered to the southwest, and continued to intensify steadily after fluctuating due to diurnal temperature variations, becoming a Category 1 equivalent on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on February 8. An anticyclone positioned to the west of the system moved closer to Dovi, providing an improved environment.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Dovi
After developing an eye later that day, Dovi attained its maximum wind speeds of 205 km/h (125 mph) sustained over 10 minutes. The cyclone then again steered towards the south, encountering high wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures. As a result, Dovi quickly weakened as its convection was displaced. While its outflow in its western and southern quadrants remained favorable, elsewhere outflow was deteriorating. On February 10, Dovi's minimum barometric pressure was 980 mbar (28.94 inHg) as it moved south-southeast at 11 km/h (7 mph). The weakening Dovi became an extratropical cyclone on February 11. The remnants continued drifting southwest; the Meteorological Service of New Zealand in Wellington stopped issuing information on it on February 13.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Dovi
Despite its close proximity to islands along its path, Dovi caused only minimal damage. Oceanic swells and storm surge were felt in some coastal areas. Strong winds were reported in the southern Cook Islands and Niue. Damage to banana plantations on Palmerston Island was reported, but Dovi caused no fatalities.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Eseta
Cyclone Eseta developed on March 10 from an area of disturbed weather that originated in the vicinity of Vanuatu. At the time the cyclone was in very favourable conditions, in an area with warm sea–surface temperatures, low wind shear, and with development enhanced by an MJO pulse traversing the area at the time. After convection began to wrap around the center of circulation, the low–pressure area was named Eseta. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began issuing warnings on Eseta at 1200 UTC on March 10; Eseta had a minimum pressure of 995 mbar (29.39 inHg) at the time.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Eseta
As the cyclone was on the western periphery of a mid–level ridge, it moved in a south-southeastwardly direction, initially at 13 km/h (8 mph). It then intensified quickly, and the next day developed a ragged eye. As it began to curve around the mid–level ridge, its forward speed increased to 21 km/h (13 mph). Favorable conditions continued on March 12, and Eseta underwent rapid intensification, with its barometric pressure falling 40 mbar (1.2 inHg) to a minimum of 930 mbar (27.46 inHg). Wind speeds increased to 185 km/h (115 mph) sustained for 10 minutes.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Eseta
However, the cyclone only maintained this intensity for 12 hours before entering an area of strong vertical wind shear. It continued to accelerate in forward speed, but shower activity became elongated and the eye dissipated. The next day, Eseta had a forward speed of 55 km/h (35 mph). As a result, the cyclone lost tropical characteristics on March 14. The JTWC issued its last warning on Eseta at 0000 UTC on March 4 as it became extratropical. Eseta was absorbed by a front the next day.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Eseta
Although Eseta was well offshore of any islands in the Pacific, rains and wind caused some damage. Western regions of Fiji reported heavy rain and flooding as the cyclone passed to its south. As a weakening cyclone, Eseta passed over the Tongan island of Eua, destroying fruit trees and kava crops. No deaths were reported due to Eseta.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Erica
Severe Tropical Cyclone Erica was a powerful cyclone considered the worst to affect New Caledonia since Cyclone Beti. It developed from a monsoonal trough on March 4 just off Queensland in the Australian cyclone region. Once it entered the South Pacific cyclone region on March 12, Erica steadily intensified in a favourable environment, reaching peak intensity on March 13 as a Category 4 equivalent on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. On that day Erica paralleled the coast of New Caledonia, before making landfall on the southern end of the island at L'Île-des-Pins. At the same time the cyclone entered an area with strong wind shear and thus began to weaken. After passing the island, an extratropical transition began, weakening the cyclone as it moved southeast. On March 15, Erica completed its transition into an extratropical cyclone and fully dissipated the next day.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Erica
Cyclone Erica severely impacted the island nation of New Caledonia, causing intense winds and heavy rain. An estimated 892 families were affected by the cyclone on the island, and two people were killed. As many as 60% of people on the west coast lost power. On March 17 only seventeen of the sixty-six secondary schools on the island were functioning. After the storm it was feared that the existing dengue fever epidemic on the island would spread. Erica caused US$15 million in damages, primarily on New Caledonia.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Fili
Cyclone Fili formed on April 13 from an area of convection northeast of Fiji. As marginal windshear abated, the disturbance began to organise, and cyclonic rotation was noted. A tropical upper tropospheric trough to the southwest helped enhance upper-level divergence in the system. RSMC Nadi began issuing warnings at 0000 UTC on April 14. Despite forecasts that Fili would merge with an extratropical cyclone, overnight convective organisation improved. Dvorak satellite estimates gave a rating of 3.0, implying winds of 85 km/h (55 mph). The JTWC issued their only warning on Fili at 0600 UTC on April 14.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Fili
RSMC Nadi named the storm Fili at 1800 UTC on the same day, east-southeast of Tongatapu. At the time, Fili was travelling southeast at 35 km/h (20 mph). During the day a nearby upper-level trough helped accelerate Fili southeast and then southward. However, Fili quickly lost tropical characteristics under intense wind shear, becoming an extratropical cyclone the next day and merging with a cold front by 1200 UTC on March 15. No damage was reported as a result of Fili due to its distance from land masses.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Gina
A westward-moving tropical disturbance persisted northeast of Vanuatu, with persistent convection extending toward the Solomon Islands. On June 4, both the JTWC and RSMC Nadi classified the system as a tropical depression. With a ridge to the south, it moved to the west-southwest, quickly intensifying into Tropical Storm Gina by June 5 about 970 km (600 mi) east-southeast of Honiara. By 0000 UTC on June 7, the JTWC upgraded Gina to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane, after an eye became evident on satellite images. Interaction with the nearby remnants of Tropical Cyclone Epi caused convection to decrease.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Gina
On June 7, FMS reported that Gina attained peak intensity as a low-end Category 3 tropical cyclone on the Australian intensity scale, with winds of 140 km/h (90 mph). The JTWC recorded winds of 170 km/h (105 mph). A compact cyclone with a well-defined eye, Gina encountered stronger wind shear and cooler waters. After turning southeast and then east-southeast in response to a rapidly approaching trough, Gina quickly deteriorated as the convection became displaced from the centre. By June 9, the centre became uncertain as Gina stalled to the west-northwest of Port Vila. Winds diminished below gale force the next day.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Gina
Gina struck the island of Tikopia that had already sustained catastrophic damage from Cyclone Zoe less than two months previously. The storm brought high winds and torrential rains that triggered landslides. Dozens of homes were damaged and many areas newly re-planted after Cyclone Zoe were devastated again. The impacts of Gina reportedly set back recovery efforts by nearly six months. A total of 112 newly built houses and 128 newly built kitchens were severely damaged, and another 37 homes sustained minor damage.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Cyclone Gina
The newly planted winter crop was lost due to sea spray, and 143 bags of rice, given as relief supplies after Cyclone Zoe, were lost. Following the storm, additional relief supplies and food were rushed to residents to ensure their safety. These consisted of local foods, sago and mesh wiring, worth $14,400. A ship carrying five people became stranded in the Coral Sea during the storm when their engine failed on June 7. A mayday signal was put out by the captain but rough seas produced by the storm hampered rescue efforts. The five were safely rescued later that day, but two more people were discovered to be missing.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
During the opening days of the tropical cyclone year 2002–03, a westerly wind burst occurred and lead to the formation of Typhoon Chataan and Tropical Depression 17F. The system was first noted as a tropical depression during July 3, while it was located about 800 km (495 mi) to the northwest of Honiara in the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal. Over the next couple of days the system moved westwards before it was last noted during July 5. During October 21, Tropical Disturbance 01F developed about 410 km (250 mi) to the northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
It moved southeast and developed into a poorly organised tropical depression. It remained disorganized and accelerated towards the southeast, and was last noted by RSMC Nadi at 1800 UTC on October 22. On December 10, RSMC Nadi reported that Tropical Disturbance 03F had developed within a trough of low pressure, about 635 km (395 mi) to the northeast of Pago-Pago on the American Samoan island of Tutuila. The depression drifted towards the south, and was classified as a tropical depression the next day.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
Further development of the depression was prevented by dry air wrapping into the system and vertical windshear displacing convection. The depression was no longer monitored by RSMC Nadi on December 15 after it had become sheared, but it was briefly referred to as a "weak tropical depression" on December 19 and 20.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
On January 30, the poorly organised Tropical Disturbance 08F developed within a convergence zone about 325 km (200 mi) to the northeast of Apia on the Samoan island of Upolu. Over the next few days the system remained weak and poorly organized, and was classified as a tropical depression during February 5. The depression then moved westwards, before dissipating on February 9. Tropical Disturbance 10F developed on February 15, about 170 km (105 mi) to the north of the Fijian Dependency of Rotuma Island.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
The system was poorly defined and disorganised, while convection surrounding the system was mostly confined to the southern and eastern flanks of the low level circulation. Over the next few days the disturbance remained weak and was last noted during February 21, while nestled within the Solomon Islands. On March 6, Tropical Depression 11F developed under an upper trough of low pressure about 220 km (140 mi) to the northeast of Nadi, Fiji. Convection surrounding the depression was displaced to the north of the low level circulation center.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
The depression remained weak over the next couple of days, and was last noted during March 8. A fairly disorganized tropical disturbance developed during April 6, within a monsoonal convergence zone, about 236 km (145 mi) to the northeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu. It was initially located within an area of weak vertical windshear, but was expected to move into an area of stronger vertical windshear over the following 24 hours and gradually become extratropical.


2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season, Systems, Other systems
During the next day, as the disturbance moved southwards, it was assigned the designation 14F, before it was dropped by RSMC Nadi during April 8, as convection surrounding the system became sheared and displaced. On April 13, Tropical Disturbance 15F developed within a monsoon trough, about 355 km (220 mi) to the southeast of Apia, Samoa. The system moved towards the south, with convection surrounding it poorly organised, and displaced to the north of the depression's low level circulation centre. The depression was then last noted, during the next day as Tropical Depression 16F developed into Tropical Cyclone Fili.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was one of the longest lasting and the third-most active season in the South-West Indian Ocean. Storms during the season impacted the Mascarene Islands, Seychelles, Madagascar, and countries in southeastern Africa. The season began early when an unnamed tropical storm struck Seychelles in September, becoming the most damaging storm there in 50 years. The next system, Atang, was the first named storm of the season, but was only a tropical depression; it was named due to the threat to an outer island of Mauritius.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
Atang later struck Tanzania in a climatologically unusual area in November, resulting in unconfirmed deaths of fishermen. The first named storm to reach tropical storm intensity was Boura, which brushed the Mascarene Islands with gusty winds and rainfall. In December, Cyclone Crystal threatened to strike Mauritius but instead veered eastward, and later, Tropical Storm Delfina lasted from late December through early January 2003. Delfina damaged or destroyed thousands of houses in Mozambique and Malawi, killing 54 people.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
In January 2003, Severe Tropical Storm Ebula continued the steady activity, forming in the eastern portion of the basin. Later, Tropical Storm Fari crossed southern Madagascar with heavy rains, causing flooding and mudslides that left 3,400 people homeless. In February, there were four simultaneous tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean, three of which in the basin. Cyclone Gerry formed first and the farthest west, passing just east of Mauritius and killing one person there. Cyclone Hape formed shortly thereafter, and Tropical Storm Isha formed farther east, having originated from the Australian basin.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
Cyclone Japhet struck southern Mozambique and produced widespread flooding in southeastern Africa, killing 25 people. In March, Cyclone Kalunde was the strongest storm of the season, reaching 10-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (135 mph). It struck Rodrigues while weakening, damaging 1,600 houses and causing an island-wide power outage. About a month later, a subtropical cyclone named Luma intensified southeast of Madagascar and developed an eye. Lastly, Cyclone Manou was only the sixth May tropical cyclones on record, making a rare landfall in southeastern Madagascar, killing 89 people and destroying thousands of houses.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
Météo-France's meteorological office in Réunion (MFR) is the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the South-West Indian Ocean, tracking all tropical cyclones from the east coast of Africa to 90° E. At the beginning of the season, the MFR moved the tropical cyclone year from August 1 to July 1. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), which is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force that issues tropical cyclone warnings for the region, also issued advisories for storms during the season.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
During the season, MFR issued advisories on 16 systems, of which 13 intensified to reach tropical storm force winds, meaning conditions were generally favorable for tropical cyclogenesis. The 13 systems with tropical storm force winds is only one short of the most such storms since the beginning of satellite-tracking in the 1967–68 season, set in the 1993–94 season. This is four more than the average of nine named storms.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
In this season, there were 24 days on which tropical cyclones were active, slightly above normal, but only one storm – Kalunde – remained at that intensity for more than three days. By contrast, there were 68 days in which a tropical storm was active in the basin, which is 15 days above normal. The season began early and ended late; only four seasons began earlier and four ended later than this season since the start of satellite-coverage in the basin.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
In addition to the named storms and an unnamed tropical storm in September, there was one non-developing tropical depression. On December 25, Tropical Depression 05 developed in the northeastern portion of the basin. It moved to the south and later southeast, crossing into the Australian region on December 27. A day later, the JTWC issued its last advisory.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Moderate Tropical Storm 01
In late August, a weak low-level circulation persisted near Diego Garcia. It was associated with a trough near the equator, and initially remained disorganized due to high wind shear. The disturbance was located at a low latitude near the equator, and a ridge extending from the eastern coast of Africa imparted a general west-southwest movement. The system was organized enough to be classified by MFR on September 4 at 2.5° S. Subsequently, the system developed more convection as its circulation became better defined.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Moderate Tropical Storm 01
Operationally, MFR began issuing warnings on September 5 on Tropical Disturbance 01, and the next day upgraded it to a tropical depression. Post analysis from MFR indicated that the system reached peak winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) on September 6, the same day that the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories on it as Tropical Cyclone 01S. The storm developed banding features, but the thunderstorms were sheared away from the circulation. On September 7, the storm moved through Seychelles – an island nation in the southern Indian Ocean – before weakening. MFR discontinued advisories on September 8, and the JTWC followed suit the next day.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Moderate Tropical Storm 01
While moving through Seychelles, the storm produced a microburst that lasted for two hours across several islands, producing wind gusts up to 130 km/h (81 mph) on Praslin. Heavy rainfall affected Praslin, La Digue, and particularly Mahé, which reported 327.1 mm (12.88 in) in a 24‑hour period. Damage on Mahé was limited to landslides and some flooding. On Praslin, high winds damaged the roofs of over 50 houses and destroyed six homes, while the airport was also damaged. The winds damaged 50 power lines, causing an island-wide power outage.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Moderate Tropical Storm 01
High winds also downed about 30,000 trees, which blocked roads but were quickly removed. Due to widespread tree damage, Cousin Island – a nature preserve – was closed for about two weeks, accounting for about $50,000 (2002 USD, SR250,000 rupees) in damage. Nationwide, the storm left 375 families homeless and damaged crop fields, becoming the most damaging in the country in 50 years.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Depression Atang
Convection persisted near a broad circulation on November 3 to the west of Diego Garcia. The system moved westward and organized due to generally favorable conditions. MFR classified it as Tropical Disturbance 02 on November 4. Two days later, the agency upgraded it to Tropical Depression 2, and shortly thereafter the JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 02S. At that time, the storm was moving to the southwest toward the Mauritius outer island of Agaléga, developing improved outflow. To emphasize the threat, the Meteorological Service of Mauritius named the system Atang, despite it only being a tropical depression.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Depression Atang
Late on November 6, JTWC estimated peak winds of 85 km/h (50 mph), around the same time that Atang began a slow motion to the southwest. The next day, the depression resumed a westward motion and became disorganized, with several circulations, and the JTWC and MFR both discontinued advisories. The remnants of Atang again turned to the southwest and re-intensified, prompting JTWC and MFR to re-issue advisories on November 9. By that time, the outflow improved, although it maintained multiple circulations.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Depression Atang
Atang passed near the north coast of Madagascar on November 10 after turning to the west, and that day the JTWC again discontinued advisories. After another period of re-organization, the agency again re-issued advisories on Atang on November 11 over the Mozambique Channel. The next day, the system moved inland in southeastern Tanzania, and dissipated shortly thereafter.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Depression Atang
In northern Mozambique, Atang produced moderate but beneficial rainfall in Cabo Delgado Province. The landfall area does not usually experience tropical cyclones, and damage in Mozambique was minimal. In Tanzania, there were unofficial reports that Atang killed several fishermen and caused heavy rainfall with wind gusts to 148 km/h (92 mph).


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Boura
A strong area of winds near the equator developed an area of convection on November 14 to the east-northeast of Diego Garcia. It quickly developed outflow and a distinct circulation, becoming a tropical depression late on November 14. Early on November 15, MFR upgraded the system to Tropical Storm Boura, and later that day the JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 03S. With a ridge to the southeast, the storm moved quickly southwestward. Easterly wind shear prevented significant intensification until the circulation became established beneath the convection.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Boura
On November 17, Boura intensified to reach 10-minute winds of 120 km/h (75 mph), making it a tropical cyclone. The JTWC upgraded Boura to the same intensity that day but in 1-minute winds, or the equivalent of a minimal hurricane. The cyclone intensified slightly further to peak winds of 130 km/h (80 mph).


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Boura
Boura maintained its peak winds for about 18 hours, during which wind shear began to increase. The cyclone weakened as it curved more to the west, a change due to a ridge to the south. The JTWC estimated that Boura maintained peak winds of 140 km/h (85 mph). Initially, the storm retained good outflow and convection, and Boura passed just north of St. Brandon on November 19, producing 54.5 mm (2.15 in) of rainfall and wind gusts of 106 km/h (66 mph).


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Boura
While the storm turned to the west and northwest, it interacted with the ridge to the south to produce wind gusts of 118 km/h (74 mph) and 111 km/h (69 mph) on Mauritius and Réunion, respectively. The convection gradually diminished, and on November 22 Boura weakened to tropical depression status while the JTWC discontinued advisories. The circulation continued to the northwest, devoid of convection. After turning to the northeast on November 25, Boura dissipated a day later north of Madagascar.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Crystal
For several days in mid-December, tropical cyclone forecast models anticipated a storm to form to the southwest of Diego Garcia, which was proven true when an area of convection formed in that area, becoming a tropical disturbance on December 21, the fourth of the season. On December 23, MFR upgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression, and later that day to Tropical Storm Crystal. The storm moved southwestward toward Mauritius due to a ridge to the southeast. Strengthening was gradual, and the JTWC upgraded Crystal to the equivalent of a minimal hurricane late on December 24.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Crystal
The next day, an eye developed, although dry air initially prevented much further intensification. MFR upgraded Crystal to tropical cyclone status on December 26, and that day the cyclone passed just east of St. Brandon. Subsequently, Crystal intensified quickly after the eye became clearer, reaching peak winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) on December 27. Around that time, the storm passed east of Mauritius as it turned to the south while rounding the ridge. After maintaining peak winds for about 18 hours, Crystal weakened, gradually undergoing extratropical transition. The convection diminished over the center, and Crystal weakened to tropical storm status on December 28. The next day, the JTWC and MFR discontinued advisories, labeling the storm as extratropical. The remnants continued to the southeast, dissipating on January 3 after crossing into the Australian region.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Cyclone Crystal
While passing just east of St. Brandon, Crystal produced wind gusts of 91 km/h (56 mph). The storm initially threatened to strike Mauritius, but effects were minimal due to the island being on the dry southwest quadrant of the storm. Crystal produced wind gusts of 91 km/h (56 mph). Rainfall reached 58.8 mm (2.31 in), although minimal precipitation occurred in northern Mauritius.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Delfina
In late December, a tropical disturbance rapidly formed off the northwest coast of Madagascar. By late on December 30, MFR classified it as a tropical disturbance. The system quickly intensified while moving westward, becoming a strong tropical storm before hitting northeastern Mozambique on December 31. Delfina weakened while moving inland, and it was no longer classifiable as a tropical cyclone by January 1. However, its remnants moved across the country and into Malawi, later looping around and crossing back over Mozambique. When the remnants reached the Mozambique Channel, they were reclassified as Tropical Disturbance 07, which moved southward over waters. It re-intensified into a tropical storm on January 8 before weakening the next day, becoming extratropical. The remnants persisted for several days, dissipating on January 14.


2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Delfina
In both Mozambique and Malawi, Delfina dropped heavy rainfall that caused flooding. In the former country, over 18,000 houses were severely damaged or destroyed, leaving thousands homeless. The storm damaged roads and bridges, which disrupted relief efforts in the aftermath, and floods destroyed widespread areas of crops in the midst of an ongoing food shortage. Lingering flooding caused an outbreak of cholera and malaria in Mozambique, and 47 people were killed by Delfina. In Malawi, flooding was not widespread, although the storm destroyed about 3,600 houses. Delfina killed eight people in the country. Only two months after the storm struck, however, Cyclone Japhet left damage and deaths in many of the same areas that Delfina affected.