The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, marking the first time the tournament was held in Asia.

German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn won the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2002 World Cup, the only keeper to ever win the award.

South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan, eventually finishing fourth.

Germany (including West Germany) has lost the most World Cup finals, finishing as runners-up four times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002).

Turkish striker Hakan Şükür scored the fastest goal in World Cup history, netting just 11 seconds into the third-place match against South Korea in 2002.

Miroslav Klose of Germany holds the record for the most goals scored in World Cup history with 16 goals across four tournaments (2002–2014).

Brazil is the most successful nation in World Cup history, having won the tournament five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002).

Australian Steven Bradbury won gold in the 1000m Short Track event after all his opponents crashed in the final corner, making him the first Winter gold medalist from the Southern Hemisphere.

The United States has hosted the Olympics (Summer and Winter combined) more times than any other nation (8 times: St. Louis 1904, LA 1932, Lake Placid 1932, Squaw Valley 1960, Lake Placid 1980, LA 1984, Atlanta 1996, Salt Lake City 2002).

Salt Lake City-Utah was elected as the host for the 2034 Winter Games, returning the event to the city that hosted in 2002.