page_title: Australia at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
section_title: Bartholomew (Bart) Bunting
hierarchical_section_title: Australia at the 2002 Winter Paralympics / Team / Bartholomew (Bart) Bunting
caption_attribution_description: English: Australian Paralympian Michael Milton at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer
context_page_description: Australia competed at the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States from 8 March to 19 March 2002. The Salt Lake Paralympics are the eighth such winter games, the first Winter Paralympics ever in North America and the first Winter Paralympics ever set up by an Olympic organizing committee. Although many of the Paralympic expenses were covered by dual planning with the Olympics, organizers still spent about $60 million on the Paralympics, including $5 million on the opening and closing ceremonies. The Salt Lake Games featured 92 events across four sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country, and ice sledge hockey. The 36 competing countries sent a total of 416 participants. Australia was represented by six male alpine skiers: Peter Boonaerts, Bart Bunting, Michael Milton, Scott Adams, Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, and Mark Drinnan. The medal haul was seven, consisting of six gold and one silver. Australia finished 8th overall in the gold and total medal count, making it the country's most successful Winter Games in terms of gold medals.
  Notable Australian performances were:
context_section_description: Bart Bunting (born 17 July 1976 in Australia) was a computer programmer who grew up in Chippendale, Sydney. He was born with congenital blindness, meaning that he has not even the slightest degree of vision. His skiing career began in 1998 when he participated in a "tryout camp" for disabled people. Although initially struggling on the mountains, Bunting became an Australian national team member in 1999, and in 2000 he won his first gold medal in the giant slalom and downhill events at the Switzerland 2000 World Championships. Athletes in Bunting's disability class use only sound to navigate their course. Bunting's best friend and guide Nathan Chivers skis a couple of meters ahead of him, speaking to him through the microphone in his helmet and the loudspeaker on the back of his bum bag. Bunting must move according to Nathan's instructions, making the communication and trust between them vitally important. Because of his achievements at the Salt Lake Games, he earned the honor of carrying the Australian flag during the closing ceremony.
caption: Australian Paralympian Michael Milton at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer
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