20022003

20022003 refers to the two-year span covering calendar years 2002 and 2003. The designation is used in historical summaries and in the naming of sports seasons that cross year boundaries, and it is sometimes used as a shorthand in data sets.

Key events in this period include the introduction of the euro as physical currency on January 1, 2002, in twelve European Union member states, as well as major international gatherings such as the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City and the 2002 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Korea and Japan.

The period also saw significant public health developments. The SARS outbreak emerged in late 2002 in China and spread globally in 2003, prompting widespread health responses, travel advisories, and reforms in infectious disease surveillance.

In international politics and security, 2003 marked the invasion of Iraq by a U.S.-led coalition beginning in March, which led to years of subsequent conflict, occupation, and political realignment in the region.

In science, researchers announced the completion of the first full sequence of the human genome in 2003, a milestone that influenced biomedical research and personalized medicine.

Culturally, cinema highlighted the closing phases of a major fantasy trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King released in 2003, following The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002. The period also saw ongoing developments in technology and media that reflected broader post-2001 global trends.