Venues of the 2002 Winter Olympics firework display. The Medals Plaza also hosted the Closing Ceremony for the 2002 Winter Paralympics on March 16, 2002. The 2002 Olympic Village was located east of downtown Salt Lake City, at Historic Fort Douglas, on the campus of the University of Utah. Fort Douglas, a U.S. Army base, had been established in 1862 but was closed in 1991; from the earliest stages of Olympic planning the fort was a possible location for the Olympic Village. Following the fort's closure the University of Utah acquired much of its property, and began planning to restore the historic buildings and build new
Winter Olympic Games Olympics, France, would host a separate "International Winter Sports Week" under the patronage of the IOC. Chamonix was chosen to host this "week" (actually 11 days) of events. The Games proved to be a success when more than 250 athletes from 16 nations competed in 16 events. Athletes from Finland and Norway won 28 medals, more than the rest of the participating nations combined. Germany remained banned until 1925, and instead hosted a series of games called Deutsche Kampfspiele, starting with the winter edition of 1922 (which predated the first Winter Olympics). In 1925 the IOC decided to create a