Salt Lake City ? The president of the Mormon church told the faithful on Saturday that the Salt Lake City Olympics proved to be a boost to the church’s image among non-Mormons.

Utah’s dominant religion kept a low profile during the February Games, opting not to proselytize to 120,000 people who came to the city to see the Olympics.

But President Gordon Hinckley said the games were a great success for Mormons, dispelling negative images.

“Well, it all worked out,” Hinckley said at the faith’s 172nd semiannual General Conference. “The visitors came by the hundreds and thousands. Some came with suspicion and hesitancy, old false images persisting in their minds. They came feeling they might get trapped in some unwanted situation by religious zealots. But they found something they never expected.”

With few exceptions, he said, the media reported positive stories about the church.