Sweden's pre-selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2002, Melodifestivalen 2002 was held on 1 March 2002 at Globen in Stockholm. However, there had for the first time been four semifinals around the country in various ice hockey arenas. A second chance heat had also been held. In total, 32 songs competed this year, compared to 10 the previous years. For the first time, songs could be sung in a language other than Swedish. Hosted by Kristin Kaspersen and Claes Åkesson, the final was won by Afro-dite after the disco group won both the televoting and jury voting. The song they performed was written by Marcos Ubeda and called "Never Let It Go".