1996 Summer Olympics
, officially known as the
Games of the XXVI Olympiad
, commonly known as
, and also referred to as the
Centennial Olympic Games
were an international multi-sport event
that was held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia
, United States. These Games, which were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, marked the
of the 1896 Summer Olympics
—the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. They were also the first since 1924 to be held in a different year from a
, under a new
practice implemented in 1994
to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years.
More than 10,000 athletes from 197
National Olympic Committees
competed in 26 sports, including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball
, as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing and women's
. 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debut in Atlanta, including eleven former
republics participating for the first time as independent nations. The hosting United States
led the medal count
with a total of 101 medals, and the most gold (44) and silver (32) medals out of all countries. The U.S. topped the medal count for the first time since 1984, and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics. Notable performances during competition included those of Andre Agassi
—who became the first men's singles tennis player to
a career Grand Slam
with an Olympic gold medal, Donovan Bailey
—who set a new world record of 9.84 for the
men's 100 meters
—who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold after winning the all-round title in the same Olympics.
The festivities were marred by violence on July 27, when
detonated pipe bombs
at Centennial Olympic Park
—a downtown park that was built to serve as a public focal point for the Games' festivities, injuring 111. In 2003, Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related attacks on
and a gay bar
, and was sentenced to life in prison. He claimed that the bombing was meant to protest the U.S. government's sanctioning of "abortion
The Games turned a profit, helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights, and reliance on private funding (as opposed to the extensive public funding used on later Olympics), among other factors. The Games faced criticism for being overly commercialized, as well as other issues noted by European officials, such as the availability of food and transport. The event had a lasting impact on the city; Centennial Olympic Park led a revitalization of Atlanta's
and has served as a symbol of the Games' legacy, the Olympic Village
buildings have since been used as residence housing for area universities, and the Centennial Olympic Stadium
has been re-developed twice since the Games—first as the baseball park
, and then as the
venue Georgia State Stadium
Atlanta was selected on September 18, 1990, in
, over Athens, Belgrade, Manchester, Melbourne, and Toronto at the
96th IOC Session
. The city entered the competition as a
, being up against stiff competition.
The US media also criticized it as a second-tier city and complained of Georgia's
. However, the IOC Evaluation Commission ranked Atlanta's infrastructure and facilities the highest, while IOC members said that it could guarantee large television revenues similar to the success of the
1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
Additionally, former US ambassador to the UN and Atlanta mayor Andrew Jackson Young
touted Atlanta's civil rights history and reputation for racial harmony. Young also wanted to showcase a reformed American South
. The strong economy of Atlanta and improved race relations in the South helped to impress the IOC officials.
The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games
(ACOG) also proposed a substantial revenue-sharing with the IOC, USOC, and other NOCs.
Atlanta's main rivals were Toronto, whose front-running bid that began in 1986 had chances to succeed after Canada had held a successful 1988 Winter Olympics
in Calgary, and Melbourne, Australia, who hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics
and after Brisbane, Australia
's failed bid for the 1992 games (which were awarded to
) and prior to
2000 Summer Olympics
bid. This would be Toronto's fourth failed attempt since 1960 (tried in 1960, 1964, and 1976, but defeated by Rome, Tokyo and Montreal).
, the home of the
and first modern Olympics
, was considered by many observers the "natural choice" for the Centennial Games.
However, Athens bid chairman Spyros Metaxa demanded that it be named as the site of the Olympics because of its "historical right due to its history", which may have caused resentment among delegates. Furthermore, the Athens bid was described as "arrogant and poorly prepared", being regarded as "not being up to the task of coping with the modern and risk-prone extravaganza" of the current Games. Athens faced numerous obstacles, including "political instability, potential security problems, air pollution, traffic congestion and the fact that it would have to spend about $3 billion to improve its infrastructure of airports, roads, rail lines and other amenities".
The total cost of the 1996 Summer Olympics was estimated to be around $1.7 billion.
The venues and the Games themselves were funded entirely via private investment,
and the only public funding came from the U.S. government for security, and around $500 million of public money used on physical public infrastructure including streetscaping, road improvements, Centennial Olympic Park (alongside $75 million in private funding), expansion of the airport, improvements in public transportation, and redevelopment of public housing projects.
$420 million worth of tickets were sold, sale of sponsorship rights accounted for $540 million, and sale of the domestic broadcast rights to NBC
accounted for $456 million. In total, the Games turned a profit of $10 million.
Events of the 1996 Games were held in a variety of areas. A number were held within the Olympic Ring, a 3 mi (4.8 km) circle from the center of Atlanta. Others were held at
, about 20 miles (32 km) outside of the city. To broaden ticket sales, other events, such as
(soccer), were staged in various cities in the Southeast.
- Alexander Memorial Coliseum
- Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
- Centennial Olympic Stadium
– Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Athletics
- Clayton County International Park
(Jonesboro, Georgia) – Beach Volleyball
- Forbes Arena
- Georgia Dome
– Basketball (final), Gymnastics (artistic), Handball (men's final)
- Georgia International Horse Park
(Conyers, Georgia) – Cycling (mountain), Equestrian, Modern pentathlon (riding, running)
- Georgia State University Sports Arena
- Georgia Tech Aquatic Center
– Diving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Water Polo
- Georgia World Congress Center
– Fencing, Handball, Judo, Modern pentathlon (fencing, shooting), Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling
- Golden Park
(Columbus, Georgia) – Softball
- Herndon Stadium
– Field hockey (final)
- Lake Lanier
(Gainesville, Georgia) – Canoeing (sprint), Rowing
- Legion Field
(Birmingham, Alabama) – Football
- Miami Orange Bowl
(Miami, Florida) – Football
- Omni Coliseum
– Volleyball (indoor final)
- Ocoee Whitewater Center
(Polk County, Tennessee) – Canoeing (slalom)
- Panther Stadium
– Field hockey
- RFK Stadium
(Washington, D.C.) – Football
- Stone Mountain Tennis Center
(Stone Mountain, Georgia) – Tennis
- Stone Mountain Park Archery Center
(Stone Mountain, Georgia) – Archery
- Stone Mountain Park Velodrome
(Stone Mountain, Georgia) – Cycling (track)
- Sanford Stadium
(Athens, Georgia) at the
University of Georgia
– Football (final)
- Stegeman Coliseum
(Athens, Georgia) at the
University of Georgia
– Gymnastics (rhythmic), Volleyball (indoor)
- Wassaw Sound
(Savannah, Georgia) – Sailing
- Wolf Creek Shooting Complex
The Olympiad's official theme, "Summon the Heroes", was written by
, making it the third Olympiad at that point for which he had composed (official composer 1984; NBC's coverage composer 1988). The
featured Céline Dion
singing "The Power of the Dream
", the official theme song of the 1996 Olympics. The
for the Olympiad was an abstract, animated character named Izzy
. In contrast to the standing tradition of mascots of national or regional significance in the city hosting the Olympiad, Izzy was an amorphous, fantasy figure. Atlanta's Olympic slogan "Come Celebrate Our Dream" was written by Jack Arogeti, a Managing Director at
in Atlanta at the time. The slogan was selected from more than 5,000
submitted by the public to the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Billy Payne
noted that Jack "captured the spirit and our true motivation for the Olympic games."
The city of
(host of the yachting events) held its own local festivities, including a local cauldron lighting event on the first day of the Games (headlined by a performance by country musician Trisha Yearwood
- All times are in
Eastern Daylight Time
(UTC-4); the other,
uses Central Daylight Time
The ceremony began with a 60-second countdown, which included footage from all of the previous Olympic Games. There was then a flashback to the closing ceremony of the
1992 Olympics in Barcelona
, showing the then
president of the IOC
Juan Antonio Samaranch
, inviting the athletes to compete in Atlanta in 1996. Then, spirits ascended in the northwest corner of the stadium, each representing one of the colors in the Olympic rings. The spirits called the tribes of the world which, after mixed percussion, formed the Olympic rings while the youth of Atlanta formed the number 100. Famed film score composer
wrote the official overture for the 1996 Olympics, called "Summon the Heroes
"; this was his second overture for an Olympic games, the first being "Olympic Fanfare and Theme
" written for the
1984 Summer Olympics
performed David Foster
's official 1996 Olympics song "The Power of the Dream
", accompanied by Foster on the piano, the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
and the Centennial Choir (comprising Morehouse College Glee Club
Spelman College Glee Club
and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus). Gladys Knight
sang Georgia's official state song
"Georgia on My Mind
There was a showcase entitled "Welcome To The World", featuring
, which highlighted the American youth and a typical Saturday college football game in the South, including the
commonly produced by spectators in sporting events around the world. There was another showcase entitled "Summertime" which focused on Atlanta and the Old South
, emphasizing its beauty, spirit, music, history, culture, and rebirth after the
American Civil War
. The ceremony also featured a memorable dance tribute to the athletes and to the goddesses of victory of the ancient Greek Olympics, using silhouette imagery. The accompanying music, "The Tradition of the Games", was composed by
In women's gymnastics,
became the all-around Olympic champion. Podkopayeva also won a second gold medal in the floor exercise final and a silver on the beam – becoming the only female gymnast since Nadia Comăneci
to win an individual event gold after winning the all-round title in the same Olympics. Kerri Strug
of the United States women's gymnastics team vaulted with an injured ankle and landed on one foot. The US women's gymnastics team won its first gold medal. Shannon Miller
of the United States won the gold medal on the balance beam event, the first time an American gymnast had won an individual gold medal in a non-boycotted Olympic games. The Spanish team won the first gold medal in the new competition of women's rhythmic group all-around
. The team was formed by
and Tania Lamarca
Amy Van Dyken
won four gold medals in the Olympic swimming
pool, the first American woman to win four titles in a single Olympiad. Penny Heyns
, swimmer of South Africa, won the gold medals in both the 100 metres and 200 metres breaststroke events.
of Ireland won three gold medals and a bronze in swimming. She remains her nation's most decorated Olympian. However, her victories were overshadowed by doping
allegations even though she did not test positive in 1996. She received a four-year suspension in 1998 for tampering with a urine sample, though her medals and records were allowed to stand.
In track and field,
of Canada won the men's 100 m, setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds at that time. He also anchored his team's gold in the 4 × 100 m relay
won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m, setting a new world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200 m. Marie-José Pérec
equaled Johnson's performance, although without a world record, by winning the rare 200 m/400 m double. Carl Lewis
won his 4th long jump gold medal at the age of 35.
There were a series of national firsts realized during the Games.
became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for Jamaica
and the English-speaking West Indies
Lee Lai Shan
won a gold medal in sailing, the only Olympic medal that Hong Kong
ever won as a British colony (1842–1997). This meant that for the only time, the colonial flag of Hong Kong was raised to the accompaniment of the British national anthem "God Save the Queen
", as Hong Kong's
was later transferred to China in 1997. The US women's football team won the gold medal in the first ever women's football event. For the first time, Olympic medals were won by athletes from Armenia
. Another first in Atlanta was that this was the first Summer Olympics ever that not a single nation swept all three medals in a single event.
These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1996 Games.
A total of 197 nations were represented at the 1996 Games, and the combined total of athletes was about 10,318.
Twenty-four countries made their Olympic debut this year, including eleven of the ex-Soviet countries that competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992
. Russia competed independently for the first time since
, when it was the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
competed as Yugoslavia
The 14 countries making their Olympic debut were:
Saint Kitts and Nevis
São Tomé and Príncipe
. The ten countries making their Summer Olympic debut (after competing at the
1994 Winter Olympics
. The Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the games as independent nations for the first time since the breakup of
, while the rest of the nations that made their Summer Olympic debut were formerly part of the
The 1996 Olympics were marred by the
Centennial Olympic Park bombing
on July 27. Security guard Richard Jewell
discovered the pipe bomb and immediately notified law enforcement and helped evacuate as many people as possible from the area before it exploded. Although Jewell's quick actions are credited for saving many lives, the bombing killed spectator Alice Hawthorne, wounded 111 others, and caused the death of Melih Uzunyol by heart attack. Jewell was later considered a suspect in the bombing but was never charged, and he was exonerated in October 1996. In 2003, Eric Robert Rudolph
was charged with and confessed to this bombing as well as the bombings of two abortion clinics
and a gay bar
. He stated "the purpose of the attack on July 27th was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand."
He was sentenced to a life sentence
at ADX Florence
prison in Florence, Colorado
Preparations for the Olympics lasted more than six years and had an economic impact of at least $5.14 billion. Over two million visitors came to Atlanta, and approximately 3.5 billion people around the world watched at least part of the games on television. Although marred by the tragedy of the
Centennial Olympic Park bombing
, they were a financial success, due in part to TV rights contracts and sponsorships at record levels.
Beyond international recognition, the Games resulted in many modern infrastructure improvements. The mid-rise dormitories built for the Olympic Village, which became the first residential housing for
Georgia State University
(Georgia State Village), are now used by the Georgia Institute of Technology
(North Avenue Apartments). As designed, Centennial Olympic Stadium was converted into Turner Field
, which became the home of the
Major League Baseball
team from 1997 to 2016. The Braves' former home, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
, was demolished in 1997 and the site became a parking lot for Turner Field; the
was demolished the same year to make way for Philips Arena (since renamed State Farm Arena
). The city's permanent memorial to the 1996 Olympics is
Centennial Olympic Park
, which was built as a focal point for the Games. The park initiated a revitalization of the surrounding area, and now serves as the hub for Atlanta's tourism district.
After the Braves' departure from Turner Field, Georgia State University acquired the former Olympic Stadium and surrounding parking lots and reconfigured the stadium for a second time into
Georgia State Stadium
for its college football team
The 1996 Olympics are the most recent edition of the Summer Olympics to be held in the United States.
will host the 2028 Summer Olympics
, 32 years after the games were held in Atlanta.
The 1996 Games were covered by the following broadcasters:
- Argentina: Argentina Televisora Color,
CBC and Radio-Canada
Universidad Católica de Chile Televisión
- Czech Republic:
- FR Yugoslavia:
- Hong Kong:
- New Zealand:
People's Television Network
Public Russian Television,
Singapore Television Twelve (STV12)
- South Korea:
SRG SSR idee suisse
National Sports, $465 million
- United Kingdom:
- United States:
The 1996 Summer Olympics relied heavily on commercial sponsorship. The Atlanta-based
was the exclusive provider of soft drinks at Olympics venues, and built an attraction known as Coca-Cola Olympic City
for the Games.
The Games were affected by several instances of
—in which companies attempt to use the Games as a means to promote their brand, in competition with the exclusive, category-based sponsorship rights issued by the Atlanta organizing committee and the IOC (which grants the rights to use Olympics-related terms and emblems in marketing). The Atlanta organizing committee threatened legal actions against advertisers whose marketing implied an official association with the Games. Several non-sponsors set up marketing activities in areas near venues, such as
(competing with Motorola
), which ambushed the Games with its "'96 Expo".
The city of Atlanta had also licensed street vendors to sell products from competitors to Olympic sponsors.
The most controversial ambush campaign was undertaken by
, which had begun an advertising campaign with aggressive slogans that mocked the Games' values, such as "Faster, Higher, Stronger, Badder", "If you're not here to win, you're a tourist", and "You don't win silver, you lose gold." The slogans were featured on magazine ads and
it purchased in Atlanta.
Nike also opened a pop-up store
known as the Nike Center near the Athletes' Village, which distributed Nike-branded flags to visitors (presumably to be used at events).
IOC marketing director Michael Payne
expressed concern for the campaign, believing that athletes could perceive them as being an insult to their accomplishments.
Payne and United States Olympic Committee
's marketing director John Krimsky met with Howard Slusher, a subordinate of Nike co-founder
. The meeting quickly turned aggressive, with Payne threatening that the IOC could pull accreditation for Nike employees, ban the display of its logos on equipment, and organize a press conference where silver medallists from the Games, as well as prominent Nike-sponsored athlete
(who attracted attention during the Games for wearing custom, gold-colored Nike shoes), would denounce the company. Faced with these threats, Nike agreed to retract most of its negative advertising and PR stunts.
A report prepared by European Olympic officials after the Games was critical of Atlanta's performance in several key issues, including the level of crowding in the Olympic Village, the quality of available food, the accessibility and convenience of transportation, and the Games' general atmosphere of commercialism.
IOC vice-president Dick Pound
defended criticism of the commercialization of these Games, stating that they still adhered to a historic policy barring the display of advertising within venues, and that "you have to look to the private sector for at least a portion of the funding, and unless you're looking for handouts, you're dealing with people who are investing business assets, and they have to get a return."
The financial struggles faced by many later Games, such as the
2016 Summer Olympics
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have led to more positive re-appraisals of the management of the 1996 Games. Former JPMorgan Chase
president (and torchbearer) Kabir Sehgal
noted that in contrast to many later Games, the 1996 Olympics were financially viable, had a positive economic impact on the city, and most of the facilities constructed for the Games still see use in the present day. Sehgal contrasted the Games' bid — a "grassroots" effort backed almost entirely by private funding, with the only significant public spending coming from infrastructure associated with the Games — to modern "top-down" bids, instigated by local governments and reliant on taxpayer funding, making them unpopular among citizens who may not necessarily be interested.
In 1997, Athens, Greece would be awarded the
2004 Summer Olympics
. Along with addressing the shortcomings of its 1996 bid, it was lauded for its efforts to promote the traditional values of the Olympic Games, which some IOC observers felt had been lost due to the over-commercialization of the 1996 Games. However, the 2004 Games heavily relied on public funding and eventually failed to make a profit, and contributed to the financial crisis in Greece.
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