Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
Ancient victors were crowned with olive wreaths (Greek: kotinos) — a tradition echoed with this Games' medalists. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The colours of the logo come from the flag of Greece. The Flag of Greece ( Σημαία της Ελλάδος, popularly referred to as the Γαλανόλευκη or the Κυανόλευκη
Host city	Athens, Greece
Nations participating	201[1]
Athletes participating	10,625[1]
Events	301 in 28 sports
Opening ceremony	August 13
Closing ceremony	August 29
Officially opened by	President Costis Stephanopoulos
Athlete's Oath	Zoi Dimoschaki
Judge's Oath	Lazaros Voreadis
Olympic Torch	Nikolaos Kaklamanakis
Stadium	Olympic Stadium

The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with "priestesses" dancing. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Olympic sports comprise all the Sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) The President of the Republic (Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the elected Head of state Konstantinos Stephanopoulos ( Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος) (born August 15, 1926) is a Greek Politician The Olympic Oath is taken by one athlete and one judge at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games. Zoi Dimoschaki (Ζωή Δημοσχάκη born February 16, 1985) is a Greek freestyle Swimmer. The Olympic Oath is taken by one athlete and one judge at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games. Lazaros Voreadis (born July 18, 1960) is a Greek Basketball Referee. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games. Nikolaos "Nikos" Kaklamanakis (Νικόλαος Κακλαμανάκης born August 19, 1968 in Athens) is the Greek Gold-medal winner The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece Stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic Stadium ( Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο) is a Stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex.

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were celebrated in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to August 29, 2004. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 10,625 athletes competed,^[1] some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries. ^[1] Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports. The Olympic sports comprise all the Sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. ^[1]

Medal count

Main article: 2004 Summer Olympics medal count

These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games:

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	36	39	27	102
2	China	32	17	14	63
3	Russia	27	27	38	92
4	Australia	17	16	16	49
5	Japan	16	9	12	37
6	Germany	13	16	20	49
7	France	11	9	13	33
8	Italy	10	11	11	32
9	South Korea	9	12	9	30
10	Great Britain	9	9	12	30

Bid and preparations

Main article: 2004 Summer Olympics bids

Athens was chosen as the host city during the 106th IOC Session held in Lausanne in September 5, 1997, after surprisingly losing the bid to organize the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta nearly seven years before, on September 18, 1990, during the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered The United States was represented at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, by the United States Olympic Committee China competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Russia at the 2004 Summer Olympics was represented by the Russian Olympic Committee (abbreviated ROC) Australia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece with 482 competitors which was the second largest Olympic Japan competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Germany competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, France was represented by the National Olympic Committee of France (Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français Italy competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. South Korea competed as Korea at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, while North Korea competed as the Democratic Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the name under which the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competes at the Olympics sent a wide-ranging delegation Five cities made the shortlist with their bids to host the 2004 Summer Olympics (formally known as Games of the XXVIII Olympiad) which were awarded to Athens Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Lausanne ( pronounced, Losanna is a city in Romandy, the French -speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Athens, under the direction of Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, pursued another bid, this time for the right to organize the 2004 games. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business The success of Athens in securing the 2004 Games was based largely on Athens' appeal to Olympic history and the emphasis that it placed on the pivotal role that Greece and Athens played in the promotion of the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's After leading all voting rounds, Athens easily defeated Rome in the 5th and final vote. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Cape Town, Stockholm, and Buenos Aires, the three other cities that made the IOC shortlist, were eliminated in prior rounds of voting. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern Six other cities submitted applications, but their bids were dropped by the IOC in 1996. These cities were Istanbul, Lille, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Seville, and Saint Petersburg. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country Rio de Janeiro ("River of January" ˈhiw dʒi ʒʌˈnejɾu in Brazilian Portuguese, /ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛroʊ/ in English is the second largest city of Brazil San Juan (saŋ hwaŋ (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, " Saint John the Baptist " is the Capital and largest municipality in Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River ^[2]

2004 Host City Election — ballot results
City	Country (NOC)	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5
Athens	Greece	32	. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία . .	38	52	66
Rome	Italy	23	. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest . .	28	35	41
Cape Town	South Africa	16	62	22	20	-
Stockholm	Sweden	20	. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. . .	19	-	-
Buenos Aires	Argentina	16	44	-	-	-

On 2004 November 13 the Greek embassy estimated the costs of hosting the Olympics at 8. Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St 954 billion Euros (about $11. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 2 billion in 2004) not including construction made regardless of the Games, but including 1. 08 billion Euros ($1. 35 billion) in security costs. ^[3] NBC Universal paid the IOC $793 million for U. NBC Universal is a media and Entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric 's NBC with Vivendi Universal S. broadcast rights,^[4] the most paid by any country. NBC made it possible for the network to broadcast over 1200 hours of coverage during the games, triple what was broadcast in the U. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's S. four years earlier. "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever Between all the NBC Universal networks (NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, USA Network & Telemundo) the games were on television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CNBC (an abbreviation for the " C onsumer N ews and B usiness C hannel" its official name until 1991 is a cable and MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Bravo is a Cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film drama USA Network (commonly referred to as USA) is an American Cable television channel with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005 Telemundo is an American television network based in Hialeah Florida a suburb of Miami Florida.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, concerns about terrorism were much higher. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Greece increased the budget for security at the Olympics to €970 million (US$1. 2 billion). Approximately 70,000 police officers patrolled Athens and the Olympic venues during the Olympics. NATO and the European Union also provided minor support, after Athens asked for co-operation. The North Atlantic Treaty The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

When the International Olympic Committee expressed its concern over the progress of construction work of the new Olympic venues, a new Organizing Committee was formed in 2000 under President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business In the years leading up to the Games, Athens was transformed into a city that uses state-of-the-art technology in transportation and urban development. Some of the most modern sporting venues in the world at the time were built to host the 2004 Olympic Games.

Construction of the venues

Inside the Athens Olympic Stadium

By late March 2004, some Olympic projects were still behind schedule, and Greek authorities announced that a roof it had initially proposed as an optional, non-vital addition to the Aquatics Center would no longer be built. The main Olympic Stadium, the designated facility for the opening and closing ceremonies, was completed only two months before the games opened, with the sliding over of a futuristic glass roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Santiago Calatrava Valls (born July 28, 1951) is an internationally recognized and award-winning Valencian Spanish Architect, The same architect also designed the Velodrome and other facilities. A velodrome is an arena for Track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights

Sunset view of the Velodrome -left- and OAKA Arch & Plaza adjacent to the Olympic Stadium

Other facilities, such as the streetcar line linking venues in southern Athens with the city proper, were considerably behind schedule just two months before the games. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train The subsequent pace of preparation, however, made the rush to finish the Athens venues one of the tightest in Olympics history. The Greeks, unperturbed, maintained that they would make it all along. By July/August 2004, all venues were delivered: in August, the Olympic Stadium was officially completed and opened, joined or preceded by the official completion and openings of other venues within the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OAKA), and the sports complexes in Faliro and Helliniko. The Athens Olympic Sports Complex or OACA ( OAKA in Greek) which stands for Olympic Athletic Center of Athens is the central group of facilities

The OAKA Plaza and Arch adjacent to the Olympic Stadium

Late July and early August witnessed the Athens Tram and Light Rail become operational, and these two systems finally connected Athens with its waterfront communities along the Saronic Gulf, such as its port city of Piraeus, Agios Kosmas (site of the sailing venue), Helliniko (the site of the old international airport which now contained the fencing venue, the canoe/kayak slalom course, the 14,500-seater indoor basketball arena, and the softball and baseball stadia), and Faliro (site of the taekwondo, handball, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball venues, as well as the newly-reconstructed Karaiskaki Stadium for football). The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος Saronikós kólpos) or Gulf of Aegina in Greece forms part of the Piraeus (pɪˈræʊs Πειραιάς, piɾeˈas Πειραιεύς, piɾeˈefs is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, and a The upgrades to the Athens Ring Road were also delivered just in time, as were the expressway upgrades connecting Athens proper with peripheral areas such as Markopoulo (site of the shooting and equestrian venues), the newly constructed Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Schinias (site of the rowing venue), Maroussi (site of the OAKA), Parnitha (site of the Olympic Village), Galatsi (site of the rhythmic gymnastics and table tennis venue), and Vouliagmeni (site of the triathlon venue). Athens International Airport (Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών Diethnís Aeroliménas Athinón known as "Elefthérios Venizélos" Ελευθέριος The upgrades to the Athens Metro were also completed, and the new lines became operational by mid-summer. The Athens Metro is the underground Public transport system of Athens, Greece, constructed by the Attiko Metro company ( Αττικό

For the first time the Olympic Flame toured the world. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games. The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic flame across every habitable Continent, returning to Athens, Greece.

The lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame took place on March 25 in Ancient Olympia. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Olympia ( Greek: Olympí'a or Olýmpia, older transliterations Olimpia, Olimbia) a sanctuary of ancient Greece For the first time ever, the flame travelled around the world in a relay to former Olympic cities and other large cities, before returning to Greece. The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic flame across every habitable Continent, returning to Athens, Greece.

EMI released Unity, the official pop album of the Athens Olympics, in the leadup to the Olympics. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure It features contributions from Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Moby, Destiny's Child, Hikaru Utada and Avril Lavigne. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951) better known by his Stage name Sting, is a three time Academy Award Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American Singer-songwriter, Multi-instrumentalist, Record Richard Melville Hall, also known as Moby (born September 11, 1965 in Harlem, New York) is an American DJ Destiny's Child (sometimes referred to as DC or DC3) was an R&B and pop Girl group comprising lead singer Beyoncé Knowles also known by her fans as, is a Singer-songwriter, Arranger and Record producer in Japan. Avril Lavigne Whibley (born September 27 1984 better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn is a Canadian Grammy Award EMI has pledged to donate US$180,000 from the album to UNICEF's HIV/AIDS program in Sub-Saharan Africa. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries ^[5]

At least 14 people died during the work on the facilities. Most of these people were not from Greece. ^[6]

Before the games, Greek hotel staff staged a series of one-day strikes over wage disputes. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. They had been asking for a significant raise for the period covering the event being staged. Paramedics and ambulance drivers had also been protesting, as they wanted the same Olympic bonuses promised to their security force counterparts. A paramedic is a medical professional usually a member of the emergency medical service, who primarily provides Pre-hospital advanced medical and An ambulance is a Vehicle for transporting sick or injured people to from or between places of treatment for an Illness or Injury.

Mascots

The mascots were based on this clay model at the National Archaelogical Museum

A stuffed mascot.

Since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France it has been the tradition to have a mascot for the games; for 2004, the official mascots were sister and brother, Athiná and Phévos (pronounced in Greek, Athina and Fivos), named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strategy and war, and Phoebos, the god of light and music, respectively. The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 Grenoble is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Phoebus (pronounced /ˈfiːbəs/ or /ˈfibəs/ is the Latin form of Greek Phoibos (Φοῖβος "Shining-one" a byname used in classical ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Phoebus ( Φοίβος, born 1 January 1971) sometimes spelled Phivos or Fivos (pronounced "Fee-Vohs" is a well known songwriter in both They were inspired by the ancient daidala which were dolls that had religious links as well as being toys. Daidala is a Greek festival of reconciliation that was held every four (seven? years in honor of Hera at Plataea in Boeotia.

Online coverage

For the first time, major broadcasters were allowed to serve video coverage of the Olympics over the Internet, provided that they restricted this service geographically, to protect broadcasting contracts in other areas. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks For instance, the BBC made their complete live coverage available to UK high-speed Internet customers for free; customers in the U.S. were only able to receive delayed excerpts. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[7]

The International Olympic Committee forbade Olympic athletes, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from setting up specialized weblogs and/or other websites for covering their personal perspective of the games. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of They were not allowed to post audio, video, or photos that they had taken. An exception was made if an athlete already has a personal website that was not set up specifically for the Games. ^[8]

NBC launched its own Olympic website, NBCOlympics. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's com. Focusing on the television coverage of the games, it did provide video clips, medal standings, live results. Its main purpose, however, was to provide a schedule of what sports were on the many stations of NBC Universal. The games were on TV 24 hours a day on one network or another.

Technology

As with any enterprise, the Organizing Committee and everyone involved with it rely heavily on technology in order to deliver a successful event. ATHOC maintained two separate data networks, one for the preparation of the Games (known as the Administrative network) and one for the Games themselves (Games Network). The technical infrastructure involved more than 11,000 computers, over 600 servers, 2,000 printers, 23,000 fixed-line telephone devices, 9,000 mobile phones, 12,000 TETRA devices, 16,000 TV and video devices and 17 Video Walls interconnected by more than 6,000 kilometers of cabling (both optical fiber and twisted pair). A server is a Computer dedicated to providing one or more services over a computer network typically through a request-response routine "TETRA" redirects here For other uses see Tetra (disambiguation TErrestrial Trunked RAdio ( TETRA) (formerly known as Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length Twisted pair Cabling is a form of wiring in which two conductors (two halves of a single circuit) are wound together for the purposes of canceling out

View of the ATHOC Technology Operations Center during the Games.

This infrastructure was created and maintained to serve directly more than 150,000 ATHOC Staff, Volunteers, Olympic family members (IOC, NOCs, Federations), Partners & Sponsors and Media. National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement It also kept the information flowing for all spectators, TV viewers, Website visitors and news readers around the world, prior and during the Games. Between June and August 2004, the technology staff worked in the Technology Operations Center (TOC) from where it could centrally monitor and manage all the devices and flow of information, as well as handle any problems that occurred during the Games. The TOC was organized in teams (e. g. Systems, Telecommunications, Information Security, Data Network, Staffing, etc. ) under a TOC Director and corresponding team leaders (Shift Managers). The TOC operated on a 24x7 basis with personnel organized into 12-hour shifts.

Opening Ceremony

Main article: 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The widely praised [1] Opening Ceremony by avant garde choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou held on August 13, 2004 began with a twenty eight (the number of the Olympiads up to then) second countdown paced by the sounds of an amplified heartbeat. The Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games was held on August 13, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Maroussi Dimitris Papaioannou (Δημήτρης Παπαϊωάννου (born 21 June 1964) is a Greek Avant-garde stage director, choreographer Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " As the countdown was completed, fireworks rumbled and illuminated the skies overhead. After a drum corp and bouzouki players joined in an opening march, the video screen showed images of flight, crossing southwest from Athens over the Greek countryside to ancient Olympia. Then, a single drummer in the ancient stadium joined in a drum duel with a single drummer in the main stadium in Athens, joining the original ancient Olympic games with the modern ones in symbolism. At the end of the drum duet, a single flaming arrow was launched from the video screen (symbolically from ancient Olympia) and into the reflecting pool, which resulted in fire erupting in the middle of the stadium creating a burning image of the Olympic rings rising from the pool. The Opening Ceremony was a pageant of traditional Greek culture and history hearkening back to its mythological beginnings. The program began as a young Greek boy sailed into the stadium on a 'paper-ship' waving the host nation's flag to haunting music by Hadjidakis and then a centaur appeared, followed by a gigantic head of a cycladic figurine which eventually broke into many pieces symbolising the Greek islands. Manos Hadjidakis (Μάνος Χατζιδάκις ( October 23, 1925 &ndash June 15, 1994) was a popular Greek composer In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human The CYCLADES Packet switching network was an extremely influential French network system in the early 1970s similar to the ARPANET. Underneath the cycladic head was a Hellenistic representation of the human body, reflecting the concept and belief in perfection reflected in Greek art. A man was seen balancing on a hovering cube symbolising man's eternal 'split' between passion and reason followed by a couple of young lovers playfully chasing each other while the god Eros was hovering above them. There followed a very colourful float parade chronicling Greek history from the ancient Minoan civilization to modern times. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete.

Although the National Broadcasting Company in the United States presented the entire opening ceremony from start to finish, a topless Minoan priestess was shown only briefly, the breasts having been pixelated digitally in order to avoid potential fines by the Federal Communications Commission (and because the "Janet Jackson" incident was still in recent memory). The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's In Computer graphics, pixellation (or pixelation in American English is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a Bitmap at such a large Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston Texas on the CBS television network in the Also, lower frontal nudity of men dressed as ancient Greek statues was shown in such a way that the area below the waist was cut off by the bottom of the screen. In most other countries presenting the broadcast, there was no censorship of the ceremony. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor

The olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games.

Following the artistic performances, a parade of nations entered the stadium with over 10,500 athletes walking under the banners of 201 nations. The nations were arranged according to Greek alphabet making Finland, the Philippines, and Hong Kong among the last to enter the stadium. The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Based on audience reaction, the emotional high point of the parade was the entrance of the delegation from Afghanistan which had been absent from the Olympics and had female competitors for the first time. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Iraqi delegation also stirred emotions. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Also recognized was the symbolic unified march of athletes from North Korea and South Korea under the Korean Unification Flag. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. The Unification Flag is used to represent all of Korea when North and South Korea participate together in sporting events The country of Kiribati made a debut appearance at these games and East Timor made a debut appearance under its own flag. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. After the Parade of Nations, during which the Dutch DJ Tiësto provided the music, the Icelandic singer Björk performed the song Oceania, written specially for the event by her and the poet Sjón. Tiësto ( born Tijs Verwest ( on January 17 1969 is a Grammy -nominated Dutch trance DJ and Record producer. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Björk Guðmundsdóttir (born 21 November 1965 is an Icelandic Singer-songwriter, Composer, actress and music producer. " Oceania " is a song by Icelandic singer Björk. It was formerly planned to be the first single release from Björk 's Medúlla Sjón is the pen name of Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born August 27, 1962) On this occasion, in observance of the tradition that the delegation of Greece opens the parade and the host nation closes it, the Greek flag bearer opened the parade and all the Greek delegation closed the parade.

The Opening Ceremony culminated in the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by 1996 Gold Medalist Windsurfer Nikolaos Kaklamanakis. Nikolaos "Nikos" Kaklamanakis (Νικόλαος Κακλαμανάκης born August 19, 1968 in Athens) is the Greek Gold-medal winner The gigantic cauldron, which was styled after the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch, pivoted down to be lit by the 35 year-old, before slowly swinging up and lifting the flame high above the stadium. Kaklamanakis would later win his silver medal in the men's mistral behind Israeli windsurfer Gal Fridman. Israel competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Gal Fridman (גל פרידמן born September 16, 1975) is an Israeli windsurfer and Olympic Gold medalist He was born in Following this, the stadium found itself at the centre of a rousing fireworks spectacular.

Closing ceremony

Athens 2004 Olympics Closing ceremony

The Games were concluded on August 29, 2004. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The closing ceremony was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium, where the Games had been opened 16 days earlier. The Olympic Stadium ( Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο) is a Stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. Around 70,000 people gathered in the stadium to watch the ceremony.

The initial part of the ceremony interspersed the performances of various Greek singers, and featured traditional Greek dance performances from various regions of Greece (Crete, Pontos, Thessaly, etc). The event was meant to highlight the pride of the Greeks in their culture and country for the world to see.

A significant part of the closing ceremony was the exchange of the Olympic flag of the Antwerp games between the mayor of Athens and the mayor of Beijing, host city of the next Olympic games. After the flag exchange a presentation from the Beijing delegation presented a glimpse into Chinese culture for the world to see. Beijing University students (who were at first incorrectly cited as the Twelve Girls Band) sang Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) and the medal ceremony for the last event of the Olympiad, the men's marathon, was conducted, with Stefano Baldini from Italy as the winner. Peking University ( of Beijing, colloquially known in Chinese as Beida (北大 Běidà) is the first formally established university and the first Twelve Girls Band ( sometimes abbreviated to 女樂 or 女乐 is a Music women artists group who started with twelve members but later become thirteen that use traditional Mo Li Hua (茉莉花 which means ' Jasmine Flowers' is a popular Chinese Folk song. The men's Marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in August 29, 2004 in the streets of Athens, Greece. Stefano Baldini (born May 25, 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is an Italian athlete Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

A flag-bearer from each nation's delegation then entered along the stage, followed by the competitors en masse on the floor.

Short speeches were presented by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, President of the Organising Committee, and by President Dr. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business Jacques Rogge of the IOC, in which he described the Athens Olympics as "unforgettable, dream Games". Jacques Count Rogge (born May 2 1942 ( pronounced in Dutch) is a Belgian sports functionary

It should be noted that Dr. Rogge had previously declared he would be breaking with tradition in his closing speech as President of the IOC and that he would never use the words of his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch, who used to always say 'these were the best ever games'. Juan Antonio Samaranch Torelló Marquess of Samaranch (born 17 July 1920) is a Spanish sports official and was president of the International Olympic Dr. Rogge had described Salt Lake City 2002 as "superb games" and in turn would continue after Athens 2004 and describe Turin 2006 as "truly magnificent games". The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in

The national anthems of Greece and China were played in a handover ceremony as both nations' flags were raised. The Hymn to Liberty (Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν Ýmnos eis tīn Eleutherían) is a poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists March of the Volunteers ( is the National anthem of the People's Republic of China (including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since The Mayor of Athens, Dora Bakoyianni, passed the Olympic Flag to the Mayor of Beijing, Wang Qishan. The Mayor of Athens is the head of the Municipality of Athens the largest district of the City of Athens Dora Bakoyannis ( Greek: Ντόρα Μπακογιάννη born Theodora Mitsotakis) ( May 6 1954) is a Greek politician the current The politics of Beijing is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. Wang Qishan ( Chinese: 王岐山 Pinyin: Wáng Qíshān b July 1948) is a politician in the People's Republic of China who previously served After a short cultural performance by Chinese actors, dancers, and musicians directed by eminent Chinese director Zhang Yimou, Rogge declared the 2004 Olympic Games closed. Zhang Yimou (born November 14 1951 is an internationally acclaimed Chinese Filmmaker and former Cinematographer.

A young Greek girl, Fotini Papaleonidopoulou, lit a symbolic lantern with the Olympic Flame and passed it on to other children before "extinguishing" the flame in the cauldron by blowing a puff of air. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games. The ceremony ended with a variety of musical performances by Greek singers, including George Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, Anna Vissi, Sakis Rouvas, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Alkistis Protopsalti, Marinella and Dimitra Galani, as thousands of athletes carried out symbolic displays on the stadium floor. George Dalaras (Γιώργος Νταλάρας born 29 September 1949) also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek Haris Alexiou (Χάρις Αλεξίου (born December 27, 1950 in Thebes, Greece as Harikleia Roupaka Χαρίκλεια Ρούπακα Anna Vissi ( Greek: Άννα Βίσση; born December 20, 1957) is a Cypriot - Greek Singer, famous mainly Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (el Σάκης Ρουβάς born January 5, 1972in Mandouki, Corfu, Greece) is a popular Eleftheria Arvanitaki is a Greek Pop folk Singer of Icarian descent born October 17, 1962 in Piraeus. Marinella (Μαρινέλλα (born May 20

Sports

The sports featured at the 2004 Summer Olympics are listed below. Officially there were 28 sports as swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo are classified by the IOC as disciplines within the sport of aquatics, and wheelchair racing was a demonstration sport. For the first time, the wrestling category featured women's wrestling and in the fencing competition women competed in the sabre. Fencing is the art of armed Combat involving Cutting, Stabbing, or slapping bludgeoning Weapons directly manipulated by hand American Kristin Heaston, who led off the qualifying round of women's shotput became the first woman to compete at the ancient site of Olympia but Cuban Yumileidi Cumba became the first woman to win a gold medal there. Kristin Heaston (born November 23 1975) is a female American Shot putter She was born in California. Yumileidi Cumbá (born February 11, 1975 in Guantánamo) is a Cuban Shot putter Her greatest season was 2004 when she won

The demonstration sport of wheelchair racing was a joint Olympic/Paralympic event, allowing a Paralympic event to occur within the Olympics, and for the future, opening up the wheelchair race to the able-bodied. The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical and sensorial disabilities The 2004 Summer Paralympics were also held in Athens, from September 20 to 28. The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France.

Participating NOCs

Participating nations

All National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Athens Games, as was the case in 1996. Archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, Greece with ranking rounds on 12 August and regular At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, Badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Goudi Olympic Hall at the Goudi Olympic Complex from August 14 through Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on two separate diamonds within the Helliniko Olympic Complex, from August 15 to August 25 Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the indoor arena in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece for the preliminary Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre for the flatwater events and the Olympic Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics had 18 events in three disciplines Road cycling, held on the streets of Athens. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, eight Diving events were contested during a competition that took place at the Athens Olympic Aquatic The events of the Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Olympics featured three equestrian disciplines Dressage, Eventing and jumping. Fencing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Fencing Hall at the Helliniko Olympic Complex. Field Hockey at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Olympic Hockey Centre located within the Helliniko Olympic Complex. The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on August 11, (two days before the opening ceremony and ended   At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, three disciplines of Gymnastics Handball at the 2004 Summer Olympics had a men's and a women's team competitions with the preliminary rounds taking place in the Sports Pavilion at Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and featured 368 judoka competing for 14 The Modern pentathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Olympic Modern Pentathlon Centre at the Goudi Olympic Complex as single Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre and featured 550 competitors taking part in 14 events Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre with eleven events being contested In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events (10 for men and 7 for women Softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Olympic Softball Stadium in the Helliniko Olympic Complex from August 14 to Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Olympic Aquatic Centre with the athletes competing in 32 events Synchronized swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held in the Olympic Aquatic Centre where 104 competitors challenged for 2 Gold medals in Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Galatsi Olympic Hall with 172 competitors in 4 events Taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics were held in the Sports Pavilion at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex where Tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on ten separate courts at the Olympic Tennis Centre. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the Triathlon events were held at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre. Volleyball at the 2004 Summer Olympics consisted of indoor volleyball held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium and Beach volleyball Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Olympic Aquatic Centre where women competed for only the second time in the event at the Summer At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, fifteen events in Weightlifting were contested in eight classes for men and seven for women Wheelchair racing at the 2004 Summer Olympics featured as demonstration events as part of the Athletics programme at the Athens Olympic Stadium on Wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and was split into two disciplines Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement Two new NOCs had been created since 1996, and made their debut at these Games (Kiribati, and Timor-Leste), therefore along with the re-appearance of Afghanistan (missing the 2000 Summer Olympics) the total number of participating nations increased from 199 to 202. Kiribati competed in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The island nation of East Timor (Timor-Leste first formally participated in the Olympic Games at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever Yugoslavia competed in 2004 as Serbia and Montenegro (code changed from YUG to SCG) and Hong Kong as Hong Kong, China. The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (Државна заједница Србија и Црна Гора / Državna zajednica Srbija i Crna Gora, abbreviated Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that NOC contributed.

Venues

Competition venues

Association football venues

• Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki
• Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens
• Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, Patra
• Pankritio Stadium, Heraklion
• Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos

Non-competition venues

• Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport
• International Broadcast Centre IBC
• Main Press Centre
• Olympic Village
• Olympic Youth Camp (Shoinias)
• ORS (Olympic Rendezvous at Samsung)
• Goudi Depot (VIP Transportation)
• Hellenikon Depot (Press/VIP Transportation)
• Dekelia Depot (Athletes Transportation)
• Vari Depot (Judges/Referees Transportation)

See also

• 2004 Summer Paralympics

Notes and references

External links

• IOC page on Athens
• Athens 2004 Olympic Games coverage by Community-online.com
• Costs of hosting the 2004 Olympics
• Pictures from the opening ceremony
• Pictures backstage from the opening ceremony
• Open Directory Project - 2004 Athens Olympics directory category
• Media coverage:BBC, CBC NBC, and Seven Network
• Athens Athlete NOC pins
• History of a stay during the Athens 2004 Olympic Summer Games
• Athens 2004 Olympic pins
• Apology letter to Athens from SI.com