2002 Winter Olympics cauldron (Utah)
The 2002 Winter Olympics cauldron held the Olympic flame during the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
The 2002 Winter Olympics cauldron held the Olympic flame during the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
The Cauldron was designed with the official 2002 Olympic motto Light the Fire Within and the Fire and Ice theme in mind. It was designed to look like an icicle, and was made of glass which allowed the fire to be seen burning within. The actual glass cauldron is 12 feet (3.7 m) high and stands atop a twisting glass and steel support, while the flame within burns at 900 °F (482.2 °C). [1] Together with its support the cauldron stands 72 feet (22 m) tall and was made of 738 individual pieces of glass. Small jets send water down the glass sides of the cauldron, both to keep the glass and metal cooled (so they would not crack or melt), and to give the effect of melting ice. [2] The cauldron was designed by WET Design of Los Angeles, California, its frame built by Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, Utah, and its glass pieces created by Western Glass of Ogden, Utah. The cauldron's cost was 2 million dollars, and it was unveiled to the public during its original install at Rice-Eccles Stadium on January 8, 2002. [3]
During the Games, the cauldron was installed atop stands at the south-end of the stadium, which allowed it to be seen burning from various points around the Salt Lake Valley. Just prior to the start of the opening ceremony, wind blew out the pilot lights on the cauldron, requiring a failsafe plan to be activated. This plan required that the flame be manually pulled up with a string to ignite the cauldron. [4]
Following the conclusion of the Games, the cauldron moved to the "Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park" just south of the stadium. There it was installed in a reflecting pool, at the center of the park, and was flanked by a V-shaped stone wall. The stones on this wall were engraved with the names of the 2002 medalists, and water cascaded down into the reflecting pool from the top of the wall. [5] The cauldron remained operational and was lit on special occasions, which included the opening weekend of the 2006 Winter Olympics. [6] During the 10-year anniversary of the Olympics, on February 8, 2012, an attempt was made to light the cauldron, but it did light but not on mark and remained lit for only a short period of time. [7] The delayed lighting was blamed on weathered mechanical parts and a lack of maintenance.
To accommodate expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium, the former cauldron park was removed in 2020. The cauldron itself was taken down on February 14, 2020 and transported to an off-site location where it underwent a refurbishment. [8] The refurbishment included replacing all 738 panes of glass, wiring the structure with LED lights, and replacing the flame mechanisms to improve energy efficiency. [9] The work was overseen by VCBO Architecture. [10] The cauldron was installed atop a new pedestal (with a cascading water feature) at the Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron Plaza on January 29, 2021. [11] This plaza replaced the former park and was officially unveiled on October 29, 2021. [9]
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002, were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from February 8 to 24, 2002, in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony starts the Olympic torch relay, which formally ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Through 2022, the flame would continue to burn in the cauldron for the duration of the Games, until it was extinguished during the Olympic closing ceremony. In 2024, electric lighting and mist were used to create a simulated flame for the Olympic cauldron, with the actual flame kept in a lantern exhibited at an adjacent location. That lantern was then taken by French swimmer Léon Marchand from Jardins des Tuileries and ceremonially "transferred" to the Stade de France at the start of the Closing Ceremony: there it was finally extinguished just after the IOC president declared officially closed the Games.
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Rice–Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Big 12 Conference. It was built to serve as the stadium for the Opening and Closing ceremonies of 2002 Winter Olympics, a role it is expected to reprise for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
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The Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron Plaza is located outside the southwestern corner of Rice–Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the stadium was known as Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium and hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Currently, the plaza contains the 2002 Winter Olympics cauldron surrounded by several plaques displaying photographs and information related to the 2002 Games.
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