South Africa at the 2002 Winter Olympics South Africa at the 2002 Winter Olympics South Africa sent a delegation to compete at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States from 8–24 February 2002. This was South Africa's fourth time appearing at a Winter Olympic Games. The nation's delegation consisted of a single alpine skier, Alexander Heath. In his best performance, he finished 27th in the men's slalom. South Africa first entered Olympic competition at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Olympics. They made their debut at a Winter Olympic Games in the 1960 Winter Olympics. From 1964 until 1991, South Africa was banned from the
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes. However, the advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur, as it put the self-financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage. The Soviet Union