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1996 Summer Olympics

September 08, 2023

"Atlanta 1996" redirects here. For the Summer Paralympics, see 1996 Summer Paralympics.

The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games)[2][3][4] were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. These were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, and marked the centennial or the 100th anniversary of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. These were also the first Summer Olympics since 1924 to be held in a different year than the Winter Olympics, as part of a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years. The 1996 Games were the first of the two consecutive Summer Olympics to be held in a predominantly English-speaking country preceding the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. These were also the last Summer Olympics to be held in North America until 2028, when Los Angeles will host the games for the third time.

Games of the XXVI Olympiad
Emblem of the 1996 Summer Olympics
Host cityAtlanta, Georgia, United States
MottoThe Celebration of the Century
Nations197
Athletes10,339 (6,822 men, 3,422 women)
Events271 in 26 sports (37 disciplines)
OpeningJuly 19, 1996
ClosingAugust 4, 1996
Opened by
President Bill Clinton[1]
Cauldron
Muhammad Ali[1]
StadiumCentennial Olympic Stadium
Summer
Winter
1996 Summer Paralympics

10,320 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports, including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking and softball, as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing, women's swimming, women's fencing, team rhythmic gymnastics, and women's association football. A total of 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debuts in Atlanta, including 11 former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations. With a total of 101 medals, the United States topped the medal table for the first time since 1984 (and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics), also winning the most gold (44) and silver (32) medals out of all the participating nations. Notable performances during the competition included those of Andre Agassi, whose gold medal in these Games would be followed up with the French Open title in 1999, making him the first men's singles tennis player to complete the Golden Slam; Donovan Bailey, who set a new world record of 9.84 for the men's 100 metres; Lilia Podkopayeva, who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold medal after winning the all-around title in the same Olympics; and the Magnificent Seven, who dramatically won the first ever U.S. gold medal in the Women's artistic gymnastics team all-around.[5]

The Games were marred by violence on July 27, 1996, when a pipe bomb was detonated at Centennial Olympic Park (which had been built to serve as a public focal point for the festivities), killing two and injuring 111. Years later, Eric Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related terrorist attacks, and was sentenced to life in prison. Nonetheless, the 1996 Olympics turned a profit, helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights, and a reliance on private funding, among other factors. There was some criticism of the apparent over-commercialization of the Games, with other issues raised 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 downtown area, and has served as a symbol of the legacy of the 1996 Games; the Olympic Village buildings have since been used as residential housing for area universities; and the Centennial Olympic Stadium has since been redeveloped twice, first as the Turner Field baseball stadium, and then the American football venue Center Parc Stadium.

Bidding process Edit

Main article: Bids for the 1996 Summer Olympics

Atlanta was selected on September 18, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, over Athens, Belgrade, Manchester, Melbourne, and Toronto at the 96th IOC Session. The city entered the competition as a dark horse, being up against stiff competition.[6] The US media also criticized it as a second-tier city and complained of Georgia's Confederate history. 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, the most recent Olympics in the United States.[7] Additionally, former US ambassador to the UN and Atlanta mayor Andrew 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. Coca-Cola, a long-standing commercial partner of the Olympics, was a strong push to bring the games to its hometown. [8] The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) also proposed a substantial revenue-sharing with the IOC, USOC, and other NOCs.[8] 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 Barcelona) and prior to Sydney, Australia's successful 2000 Summer Olympics bid. This would be Toronto's fourth failed attempt since 1960 (tried in 1960, 1964, and 1976, but was defeated by Rome, Tokyo and Montreal).[9]

Greece, the home of the ancient and first modern Olympics, was considered by many observers the "natural choice" for the Centennial Games.[7][8] 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 US$3 billion to improve its infrastructure of airports, roads, rail lines and other amenities".[7][10][11] Athens would later be selected to host the 2004 Summer Olympics seven years later on September 5, 1997.

1996 Summer Olympics bidding results[12]
City NOC Name Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5
Atlanta   United States 19 20 26 34 51
Athens   Greece 23 23 26 30 35
Toronto   Canada 14 17 18 22 —
Melbourne   Australia 12 21 16 — —
Manchester   Great Britain 11 5 — — —
Belgrade   SFR Yugoslavia[13] 7 — — — —

Development and preparation Edit

Budget Edit

The total cost of the 1996 Summer Olympics was estimated to be around US$1.7 billion.[14] The venues and the Games themselves were funded entirely via private investment,[15] 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.[16] $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 $19 million.[17][14]

The cost for Atlanta 1996 compares with costs of $4.6 billion for Rio 2016, $40–44 billion for Beijing 2008, and $51 billion for Sochi 2014 (the most expensive Olympics in history). The average cost for the Summer Games since 1960 is $5.2 billion. Unlike Atlanta 1996, Beijing and Sochi were primarily funded by their respective governments.[18]

Venues and infrastructure Edit

Main article: Venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics
 
A Boeing 747-200 from UPS Airlines in the 1996 Summer Olympics paint.
 
A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 from Delta Air Lines in the 1996 Summer Olympics paint.
 
Georgia Dome
 
Alexander Memorial Coliseum
 
Georgia Tech Aquatic Center


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 Stone Mountain, about 20 miles (32 km) outside of the city. To broaden ticket sales, other events, such as Association football (soccer), were staged in various cities in the Southeast.[19][20]

Marketing Edit

The Olympiad's official theme, "Summon the Heroes", was written by John Williams, making it the third Olympiad at that point for which he had composed (official composer 1984; NBC's coverage composer 1988). The opening ceremony featured Céline Dion singing "The Power of the Dream", the theme song of the 1996 Olympics. The closing ceremony featured Gloria Estefan singing "Reach", the official theme song of the 1996 Olympics. The mascot 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. A video game featuring the Games' mascot, Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings, was also released.[21]

Atlanta's Olympic slogan "Come Celebrate Our Dream" was written by Jack Arogeti, a Managing Director at McCann-Erickson in Atlanta at the time. The slogan was selected from more than 5,000[22] 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."[23]

The city of Savannah, Georgia, 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).[24]

In 1994, African-American artist Kevin Cole was commissioned to create the Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic Mural, and the 15-story mural took two years to complete.[25]

Calendar Edit

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4); the other, Birmingham, Alabama, uses Central Daylight Time (UTC-5)
OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremony
July/August 1996 July August Events
19th
Fri 		20th
Sat 		21st
Sun 		22nd
Mon 		23rd
Tue 		24th
Wed 		25th
Thu 		26th
Fri 		27th
Sat 		28th
Sun 		29th
Mon 		30th
Tue 		31st
Wed 		1st
Thu 		2nd
Fri 		3rd
Sat 		4th
Sun
  Ceremonies OC CC —
Aquatics   Diving ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 37
  Swimming 4 4 5 5 4 5 5
  Synchronized swimming ● 1
  Water polo ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1
  Archery ● ● ● 1 1 2 4
  Athletics 2 4 5 8 5 4 6 9 1 44
  Badminton ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 3 5
Baseball/Softball
  Baseball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 2
  Softball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1
  Basketball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
  Boxing ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 6 6 12
Canoeing   Slalom 2 2 16
  Sprint ● ● ● ● 6 6
Cycling   Road cycling 1 1 2 11
  Track cycling 1 1 2 4
  Mountain biking 1 1
  Equestrian ● ● ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 ● ● 1 1 1 6
  Fencing 1 2 2 1 2 2 10
  Field hockey ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
  Football ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 ● 1 2
Gymnastics   Artistic ● ● 1 1 1 1 5 5 16
  Rhythmic ● 1 ● 1
  Handball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
  Judo 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14
  Modern pentathlon 1 1
  Rowing ● ● ● ● ● ● 7 7 14
  Sailing ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 4 1 2 2 1 10
  Shooting 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 15
  Table tennis ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 1 1 4
  Tennis ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2 4
Volleyball   Beach volleyball ● ● ● ● 1 1 4
  Indoor volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1
  Weightlifting 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10
  Wrestling ● 5 ● 5 ● 5 ● 5 20
Daily medal events 10 17 12 17 14 13 13 20 27 20 7 18 14 21 30 18 271
Cumulative total 10 27 39 56 70 83 96 116 143 163 170 188 202 223 253 271
July/August 1996 19th
Fri 		20th
Sat 		21st
Sun 		22nd
Mon 		23rd
Tue 		24th
Wed 		25th
Thu 		26th
Fri 		27th
Sat 		28th
Sun 		29th
Mon 		30th
Tue 		31st
Wed 		1st
Thu 		2nd
Fri 		3rd
Sat 		4th
Sun 		Total events
July August

Games Edit

Opening ceremony Edit

Main article: 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

The ceremony began with a 60-second countdown, which included footage from all of the previous Olympic Games at twenty-two seconds. 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 John Williams wrote the official overture for the 1996 Olympics, called "Summon the Heroes"; this was his second overture for Olympic games, the first being "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" written for the 1984 Summer Olympics. Céline Dion 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 cheerleaders, Chevrolet pick-up trucks, marching bands, and steppers, which highlighted the American youth and a typical Saturday college football game in the South, including the wave 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 Basil Poledouris.[26]

Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron and later received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics. For the torch ceremony, more than 10,000 Olympic torches were manufactured by the American Meter Company and electroplated by Erie Plating Company. Each torch weighed about 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) and was made primarily of aluminum, with a Georgia pecan wood handle and gold ornamentation.[27][28]

Closing ceremony Edit

Main article: 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremony

Sports Edit

 
Medal designs for the 1996 Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympic programme featured 271 events in 26 sports. Softball, beach volleyball and mountain biking debuted on the Olympic program, together with women's football, lightweight rowing, women's swimming, women's fencing, and a team rhythmic gymnastics event.

1996 Summer Olympics Sports Programme

In women's gymnastics, Ukrainian Lilia Podkopayeva 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-around 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, winning the first women's team gold medal for the US. Shannon Miller won the gold medal on the balance beam event, the first time an American gymnast had won an individual gold medal in 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 Estela Giménez, Marta Baldó, Nuria Cabanillas, Lorena Guréndez, Estíbaliz Martínez 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. Michelle Smith 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.[29][30]

 
Women's 100 m hurdles at the Olympic stadium

In track and field, Donovan Bailey 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. Michael Johnson 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.

 
Whitewater slalom events at the Ocoee Whitewater Center

In tennis, Andre Agassi won the gold medal, which would eventually make him the first man and second singles player overall (after his eventual wife, Steffi Graf) to win the career Golden Slam, which consists of an Olympic gold medal and victories in the singles tournaments held at professional tennis' four major events (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open).

 
The Olympic flag waves at the 1996 Games

There were a series of national firsts realized during the Games. Deon Hemmings 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 sovereignty was later transferred to China in 1997. The US women's soccer 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, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burundi, Ecuador, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mozambique, Slovakia, Tonga, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. 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.

Records Edit

Main article: World and Olympic records set at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Medal count Edit

Main article: 1996 Summer Olympics medal table

These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1996 Games.

  *   Host nation (United States)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  United States*443225101
2  Russia26211663
3  Germany20182765
4  China16221250
5  France1571537
6  Italy13101235
7  Australia992341
8  Cuba98825
9  Ukraine921223
10  South Korea715527
Totals (10 entries)168144155467

Participating National Olympic Committees Edit

 
Participants at Summer olympics 1996
Blue = Participating for the first time. Green = Have previously participated. Yellow square is host city (Atlanta)
 
Number of athletes

A total of 197 nations, all of the then-existing and recognized National Olympic Committees, were represented at the 1996 Games, and the combined total of athletes was about 10,318.After missing the 1992 Summer Games Afghanistan and Camboja returned to send delegations to the Games.[31] 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 participated in the Summer Olympics separately from the other countries of the former Soviet Union for the first time since 1912 (when it was the Russian Empire). Russia had been a member of the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics together with 11 post-Soviet states. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia competed as Yugoslavia.

The 14 countries making their Olympic debut were: Azerbaijan, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Dominica, Guinea-Bissau, Macedonia, Nauru, Palestinian Authority, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The ten countries making their Summer Olympic debut (after competing at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer) were: Armenia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Slovakia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the games as independent nations for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia, while the rest of the nations that made their Summer Olympic debut were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Participating National Olympic Committees

Centennial Olympic Park bombing Edit

Main article: Centennial Olympic Park bombing
 
The marker at the entrance to Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta

The 1996 Olympics were marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, which occurred on July 27. Security guard Richard Jewell discovered the pipe bomb and immediately notified law enforcement, helping to 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 a heart attack. Jewell was later considered a suspect in the bombing but was never charged, and he was cleared in October 1996.

Fugitive Eric Rudolph was arrested in May 2003 and charged with the Olympic Park bombing as well as the bombings of two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub.[32] At his trial two years later, he confessed to all charges and afterwards released a statement, saying: "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."[33] He received four life sentences without parole,[32] to be served at USP Florence ADMAX near Florence, Colorado.

Legacy Edit

 
The 1996 Olympic cauldron, designed by Siah Armajani
 
The Flair Monument, erected in remembrance of the 1996 Games

Preparations for the Olympics lasted more than seven years and had an economic impact of at least US$5.14 billion. Over two million visitors came to Atlanta, and approximately 3.5 billion people around the world watched at least some of the events on television. Although marred by the tragedy of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, the Games were a financial success, due in part to TV rights contracts and sponsorships at record levels.[34]

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, the Centennial Olympic Stadium was converted into Turner Field after the Paralympics, which became the home of the Atlanta Braves 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 Omni Coliseum was demolished the same year to make way for 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.[34]

In November 2016, a commemorative plaque was unveiled for Centennial Olympic Park to honor the 20th anniversary of the Games.[35][36]

Following the Braves' departure from Turner Field to Truist Park, Georgia State University acquired the former Olympic Stadium and surrounding parking lots. It reconfigured the stadium for a second time into Center Parc Stadium for its college football team.

The 1996 Olympic cauldron was originally built and placed at the intersection of Fulton Street and Capitol Avenue, near the Centennial Olympic Stadium. After the Paralympics, as well as to make room for the stadium conversion, the Olympic cauldron was moved (except its ramp, which was demolished) to the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Fulton Street in 1997, where it has stayed since. The Olympic cauldron was re-lit in February 2020 for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.[37]

The 1996 Olympics are the most recent edition of the Summer Olympics to be held in the United States. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics, 32 years after the Games were held in Atlanta.[38]

Sponsors Edit

The 1996 Summer Olympics relied heavily on commercial sponsorship. The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company was the exclusive provider of soft drinks at Olympics venues, and built an attraction known as Coca-Cola Olympic City for the Games.[39] As part of a sponsorship agreement with Columbia TriStar Television, the syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune both produced episodes with Olympics tie-ins (including branded memorabilia and contests) for broadcast between April and July 1996. These included a Jeopardy! international tournament, and three weeks of Wheel of Fortune episodes filmed on-location at Atlanta's Fox Theatre.[40][41][42]

The Games were affected by several instances of ambush marketing—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 Samsung (competing with Motorola), which ambushed the Games with its "96 Expo".[43][44] The city of Atlanta had also licensed street vendors to sell products from competitors to Olympic sponsors.[45][46]

The most controversial ambush campaign was undertaken by Nike, Inc., 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 billboards it purchased in Atlanta.[43] 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).[47] IOC marketing director Michael Payne expressed concern for the campaign, believing that athletes could perceive them as being an insult to their accomplishments.[47] Payne and the United States Olympic Committee's marketing director, John Krimsky, met with Howard Slusher, a subordinate of Nike co-founder Phil Knight. The meeting quickly turned aggressive, with Payne warning that the IOC could pull accreditation for Nike employees and ban the display of its logos on equipment; he also threatened to organize a press conference where silver medallists from the Games, as well as prominent Nike-sponsored athlete Michael Johnson (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.[47]

Reception Edit

At the closing ceremony, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said in his closing speech, "Well done, Atlanta" and simply called the Games "most exceptional." This broke precedent for Samaranch, who had traditionally labeled each Games "the best Olympics ever" at each closing ceremony, a practice he resumed at the subsequent Winter Games in Nagano in 1998.[48]

A report prepared after the Games by European Olympic officials was critical of Atlanta's performance in several key areas, 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.[49] IOC vice-president Dick Pound responded to 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."[45]

In 1997, Athens, Greece was 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, which some have claimed contributed to the financial crisis in Greece.[50][51][52]

The financial struggles faced by many later Games, such as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, have led later to more positive re-appraisals of the management of the 1996 Summer Games. Former JPMorgan Chase president (and torchbearer) Kabir Sehgal noted that in contrast to many later Games, the 1996 Summer 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 1996 Games' "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.[14] The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will rely almost entirely on private funding, with the city of Los Angeles and state of California each intending to provide up to $250 million in funding in the event of shortfalls, and the federal government providing funding solely for security.[53][54][55]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ a b "Factsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. October 9, 2014. (PDF) from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Glanton, Dahleen. "Atlanta debates how golden it was". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "Live From PyeongChang". TvTechnology. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "Atlanta: 20 years later". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "Magnificent Seven reflects on their historic gold twenty years later".
  6. ^ Payne, Michael (2006). Olympic turnaround: how the Olympic Games stepped back from the brink of Extinction to Become the Best Known Brand. Westport, Ct.: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-99030-3.
  7. ^ a b c Weisman, Steven R. (September 19, 1990). "Atlanta Selected Over Athens for 1996 Olympics". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c Maloney, Larry (2004). "Atlanta 1996". In Finding, John E.; Pelle, Kimberly D. (eds.). Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 235–6. ISBN 9780313322785. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  9. ^ Edwards, Peter (July 24, 2015). "Toronto has made 5 attempts to host the Olympics. Could the sixth be the winner?". Toronto Star.
  10. ^ Longman, Jere (August 3, 1997). "Athens Pins Olympic Bid to World Meet". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  11. ^ "1996 Olympic Games". Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  12. ^ . www.aldaver.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  13. ^ The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was still in existence at the time of bidding for the 1996 Olympics, although it would cease to exist by the time of the 1996 Summer Olympic games
  14. ^ a b c "What Rio Should Have Learned From Atlanta's 1996 Summer Olympics". Fortune. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
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External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1996 Summer Olympics.
External video
  The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Film on YouTube
  • "Atlanta 1996". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee.
  • Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles
  • Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles
  • Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles
  • 1996 program from GPB about Atlanta and the 1996 Olympic Games, "Fences & Neighborhoods," 1996-06-07, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
  • Atlanta Summer Games 25th anniversary Coverage from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Summer Olympics
Preceded by XXVI Olympiad
Atlanta
1996 		Succeeded by

September 08, 2023
1996, summer, olympics, atlanta, 1996, redirects, here, summer, paralympics, 1996, summer, paralympics, officially, games, xxvi, olympiad, also, known, atlanta, 1996, commonly, referred, centennial, olympic, games, were, international, multi, sport, event, hel. Atlanta 1996 redirects here For the Summer Paralympics see 1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Summer Olympics officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games 2 3 4 were an international multi sport event held from July 19 to August 4 1996 in Atlanta Georgia United States These were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States and marked the centennial or the 100th anniversary of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games These were also the first Summer Olympics since 1924 to be held in a different year than the Winter Olympics as part of a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating even numbered years The 1996 Games were the first of the two consecutive Summer Olympics to be held in a predominantly English speaking country preceding the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia These were also the last Summer Olympics to be held in North America until 2028 when Los Angeles will host the games for the third time Games of the XXVI OlympiadEmblem of the 1996 Summer OlympicsHost cityAtlanta Georgia United StatesMottoThe Celebration of the CenturyNations197Athletes10 339 6 822 men 3 422 women Events271 in 26 sports 37 disciplines OpeningJuly 19 1996ClosingAugust 4 1996Opened byPresident Bill Clinton 1 CauldronMuhammad Ali 1 StadiumCentennial Olympic StadiumSummer Barcelona 1992Sydney 2000 Winter Lillehammer 1994Nagano 1998 1996 Summer Paralympics10 320 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball mountain biking and softball as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing women s swimming women s fencing team rhythmic gymnastics and women s association football A total of 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debuts in Atlanta including 11 former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations With a total of 101 medals the United States topped the medal table for the first time since 1984 and for the first time since 1968 in a non boycotted Summer Olympics also winning the most gold 44 and silver 32 medals out of all the participating nations Notable performances during the competition included those of Andre Agassi whose gold medal in these Games would be followed up with the French Open title in 1999 making him the first men s singles tennis player to complete the Golden Slam Donovan Bailey who set a new world record of 9 84 for the men s 100 metres Lilia Podkopayeva who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold medal after winning the all around title in the same Olympics and the Magnificent Seven who dramatically won the first ever U S gold medal in the Women s artistic gymnastics team all around 5 The Games were marred by violence on July 27 1996 when a pipe bomb was detonated at Centennial Olympic Park which had been built to serve as a public focal point for the festivities killing two and injuring 111 Years later Eric Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related terrorist attacks and was sentenced to life in prison Nonetheless the 1996 Olympics turned a profit helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights and a reliance on private funding among other factors There was some criticism of the apparent over commercialization of the Games with other issues raised 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 downtown area and has served as a symbol of the legacy of the 1996 Games the Olympic Village buildings have since been used as residential housing for area universities and the Centennial Olympic Stadium has since been redeveloped twice first as the Turner Field baseball stadium and then the American football venue Center Parc Stadium Contents 1 Bidding process 2 Development and preparation 2 1 Budget 2 2 Venues and infrastructure 2 3 Marketing 3 Calendar 4 Games 4 1 Opening ceremony 4 2 Closing ceremony 4 3 Sports 5 Records 6 Medal count 7 Participating National Olympic Committees 8 Centennial Olympic Park bombing 9 Legacy 10 Sponsors 11 Reception 12 See also 13 References 14 External linksBidding process EditMain article Bids for the 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta was selected on September 18 1990 in Tokyo Japan over Athens Belgrade Manchester Melbourne and Toronto at the 96th IOC Session The city entered the competition as a dark horse being up against stiff competition 6 The US media also criticized it as a second tier city and complained of Georgia s Confederate history 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 the most recent Olympics in the United States 7 Additionally former US ambassador to the UN and Atlanta mayor Andrew 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 Coca Cola a long standing commercial partner of the Olympics was a strong push to bring the games to its hometown 8 The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games ACOG also proposed a substantial revenue sharing with the IOC USOC and other NOCs 8 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 Barcelona and prior to Sydney Australia s successful 2000 Summer Olympics bid This would be Toronto s fourth failed attempt since 1960 tried in 1960 1964 and 1976 but was defeated by Rome Tokyo and Montreal 9 Greece the home of the ancient and first modern Olympics was considered by many observers the natural choice for the Centennial Games 7 8 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 US 3 billion to improve its infrastructure of airports roads rail lines and other amenities 7 10 11 Athens would later be selected to host the 2004 Summer Olympics seven years later on September 5 1997 1996 Summer Olympics bidding results 12 City NOC Name Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5Atlanta nbsp United States 19 20 26 34 51Athens nbsp Greece 23 23 26 30 35Toronto nbsp Canada 14 17 18 22 Melbourne nbsp Australia 12 21 16 Manchester nbsp Great Britain 11 5 Belgrade nbsp SFR Yugoslavia 13 7 Development and preparation EditBudget Edit The total cost of the 1996 Summer Olympics was estimated to be around US 1 7 billion 14 The venues and the Games themselves were funded entirely via private investment 15 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 16 420 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 19 million 17 14 The cost for Atlanta 1996 compares with costs of 4 6 billion for Rio 2016 40 44 billion for Beijing 2008 and 51 billion for Sochi 2014 the most expensive Olympics in history The average cost for the Summer Games since 1960 is 5 2 billion Unlike Atlanta 1996 Beijing and Sochi were primarily funded by their respective governments 18 Venues and infrastructure Edit Main article Venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics nbsp A Boeing 747 200 from UPS Airlines in the 1996 Summer Olympics paint nbsp A McDonnell Douglas MD 11 from Delta Air Lines in the 1996 Summer Olympics paint nbsp Georgia Dome nbsp Alexander Memorial Coliseum nbsp Georgia Tech Aquatic CenterEvents 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 Stone Mountain about 20 miles 32 km outside of the city To broaden ticket sales other events such as Association football soccer were staged in various cities in the Southeast 19 20 Alexander Memorial Coliseum Boxing Atlanta Fulton County Stadium Baseball Centennial Olympic Stadium Opening Closing Ceremonies Athletics Clayton County International Park Jonesboro Georgia Beach Volleyball Forbes Arena Basketball 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 Badminton 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 ShootingMarketing Edit The Olympiad s official theme Summon the Heroes was written by John Williams making it the third Olympiad at that point for which he had composed official composer 1984 NBC s coverage composer 1988 The opening ceremony featured Celine Dion singing The Power of the Dream the theme song of the 1996 Olympics The closing ceremony featured Gloria Estefan singing Reach the official theme song of the 1996 Olympics The mascot 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 A video game featuring the Games mascot Izzy s Quest for the Olympic Rings was also released 21 Atlanta s Olympic slogan Come Celebrate Our Dream was written by Jack Arogeti a Managing Director at McCann Erickson in Atlanta at the time The slogan was selected from more than 5 000 22 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 23 The city of Savannah Georgia 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 24 In 1994 African American artist Kevin Cole was commissioned to create the Coca Cola Centennial Olympic Mural and the 15 story mural took two years to complete 25 Calendar EditAll times are in Eastern Daylight Time UTC 4 the other Birmingham Alabama uses Central Daylight Time UTC 5 OC Opening ceremony Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremonyJuly August 1996 July August Events19thFri 20thSat 21stSun 22ndMon 23rdTue 24thWed 25thThu 26thFri 27thSat 28thSun 29thMon 30thTue 31stWed 1stThu 2ndFri 3rdSat 4thSun nbsp Ceremonies OC CC Aquatics nbsp Diving 1 1 1 1 37 nbsp Swimming 4 4 5 5 4 5 5 nbsp Synchronized swimming 1 nbsp Water polo 1 nbsp Archery 1 1 2 4 nbsp Athletics 2 4 5 8 5 4 6 9 1 44 nbsp Badminton 2 3 5Baseball Softball nbsp Baseball 1 2 nbsp Softball 1 nbsp Basketball 1 1 2 nbsp Boxing 6 6 12Canoeing nbsp Slalom 2 2 16 nbsp Sprint 6 6Cycling nbsp Road cycling 1 1 2 11 nbsp Track cycling 1 1 2 4 nbsp Mountain biking 1 1 nbsp Equestrian 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 nbsp Fencing 1 2 2 1 2 2 10 nbsp Field hockey 1 1 2 nbsp Football 1 1 2Gymnastics nbsp Artistic 1 1 1 1 5 5 16 nbsp Rhythmic 1 1 nbsp Handball 1 1 2 nbsp Judo 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14 nbsp Modern pentathlon 1 1 nbsp Rowing 7 7 14 nbsp Sailing 4 1 2 2 1 10 nbsp Shooting 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 15 nbsp Table tennis 1 1 1 1 4 nbsp Tennis 2 2 4Volleyball nbsp Beach volleyball 1 1 4 nbsp Indoor volleyball 1 1 nbsp Weightlifting 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 nbsp Wrestling 5 5 5 5 20Daily medal events 10 17 12 17 14 13 13 20 27 20 7 18 14 21 30 18 271Cumulative total 10 27 39 56 70 83 96 116 143 163 170 188 202 223 253 271July August 1996 19thFri 20thSat 21stSun 22ndMon 23rdTue 24thWed 25thThu 26thFri 27thSat 28thSun 29thMon 30thTue 31stWed 1stThu 2ndFri 3rdSat 4thSun Total eventsJuly AugustGames EditOpening ceremony Edit Main article 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The ceremony began with a 60 second countdown which included footage from all of the previous Olympic Games at twenty two seconds 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 John Williams wrote the official overture for the 1996 Olympics called Summon the Heroes this was his second overture for Olympic games the first being Olympic Fanfare and Theme written for the 1984 Summer Olympics Celine Dion 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 cheerleaders Chevrolet pick up trucks marching bands and steppers which highlighted the American youth and a typical Saturday college football game in the South including the wave 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 Basil Poledouris 26 Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron and later received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics For the torch ceremony more than 10 000 Olympic torches were manufactured by the American Meter Company and electroplated by Erie Plating Company Each torch weighed about 3 5 pounds 1 6 kg and was made primarily of aluminum with a Georgia pecan wood handle and gold ornamentation 27 28 Closing ceremony Edit Main article 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremony Sports Edit nbsp Medal designs for the 1996 OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympic programme featured 271 events in 26 sports Softball beach volleyball and mountain biking debuted on the Olympic program together with women s football lightweight rowing women s swimming women s fencing and a team rhythmic gymnastics event 1996 Summer Olympics Sports ProgrammeAquatics nbsp Diving 4 nbsp Swimming 32 nbsp Synchronized swimming 1 nbsp Water polo 1 nbsp Archery 4 nbsp Athletics 44 nbsp Badminton 5 nbsp Baseball 1 nbsp Basketball 2 nbsp Boxing 12 nbsp Canoeing Sprint 12 Slalom 4 nbsp Cycling Road 4 Track 8 Mountain biking 2 nbsp Equestrian Dressage 2 Eventing 2 Show jumping 2 nbsp Fencing 10 nbsp Field hockey 2 nbsp Football 2 nbsp Gymnastics Artistic 14 Rhythmic 2 nbsp Handball 2 nbsp Judo 14 nbsp Modern pentathlon 1 nbsp Rowing 14 nbsp Sailing 10 nbsp Shooting 15 nbsp Softball 1 nbsp Table tennis 4 nbsp Tennis 4 nbsp Volleyball Volleyball 2 Beach volleyball 2 nbsp Weightlifting 10 nbsp Wrestling Freestyle 10 Greco Roman 10 In women s gymnastics Ukrainian Lilia Podkopayeva 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 around 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 winning the first women s team gold medal for the US Shannon Miller won the gold medal on the balance beam event the first time an American gymnast had won an individual gold medal in 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 Estela Gimenez Marta Baldo Nuria Cabanillas Lorena Gurendez Estibaliz Martinez 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 Michelle Smith 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 29 30 nbsp Women s 100 m hurdles at the Olympic stadiumIn track and field Donovan Bailey 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 Michael Johnson won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m setting a new world record of 19 32 seconds in the 200 m Marie Jose Perec 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 nbsp Whitewater slalom events at the Ocoee Whitewater CenterIn tennis Andre Agassi won the gold medal which would eventually make him the first man and second singles player overall after his eventual wife Steffi Graf to win the career Golden Slam which consists of an Olympic gold medal and victories in the singles tournaments held at professional tennis four major events Australian Open French Open Wimbledon and US Open nbsp The Olympic flag waves at the 1996 GamesThere were a series of national firsts realized during the Games Deon Hemmings 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 sovereignty was later transferred to China in 1997 The US women s soccer 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 Azerbaijan Belarus Burundi Ecuador Georgia Hong Kong Kazakhstan Moldova Mozambique Slovakia Tonga Ukraine and Uzbekistan 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 Records EditMain article World and Olympic records set at the 1996 Summer OlympicsMedal count EditMain article 1996 Summer Olympics medal table These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1996 Games Host nation United States RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal1 nbsp United States 4432251012 nbsp Russia262116633 nbsp Germany201827654 nbsp China162212505 nbsp France15715376 nbsp Italy131012357 nbsp Australia9923418 nbsp Cuba988259 nbsp Ukraine92122310 nbsp South Korea715527Totals 10 entries 168144155467Participating National Olympic Committees Edit nbsp Participants at Summer olympics 1996Blue Participating for the first time Green Have previously participated Yellow square is host city Atlanta nbsp Number of athletesA total of 197 nations all of the then existing and recognized National Olympic Committees were represented at the 1996 Games and the combined total of athletes was about 10 318 After missing the 1992 Summer Games Afghanistan and Camboja returned to send delegations to the Games 31 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 participated in the Summer Olympics separately from the other countries of the former Soviet Union for the first time since 1912 when it was the Russian Empire Russia had been a member of the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics together with 11 post Soviet states The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia competed as Yugoslavia The 14 countries making their Olympic debut were Azerbaijan Burundi Cape Verde Comoros Dominica Guinea Bissau Macedonia Nauru Palestinian Authority Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Sao Tome and Principe Tajikistan and Turkmenistan The ten countries making their Summer Olympic debut after competing at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer were Armenia Belarus Czech Republic Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Slovakia Ukraine and Uzbekistan The Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the games as independent nations for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia while the rest of the nations that made their Summer Olympic debut were formerly part of the Soviet Union Participating National Olympic Committees nbsp Afghanistan 2 nbsp Albania 7 nbsp Algeria 45 nbsp American Samoa 7 nbsp Andorra 8 nbsp Angola 28 nbsp Antigua and Barbuda 13 nbsp Argentina 179 nbsp Armenia 32 nbsp Aruba 3 nbsp Australia 417 nbsp Austria 72 nbsp Azerbaijan 23 nbsp Bahamas 26 nbsp Bahrain 5 nbsp Bangladesh 4 nbsp Barbados 13 nbsp Belarus 157 nbsp Belgium 61 nbsp Belize 5 nbsp Benin 5 nbsp Bermuda 9 nbsp Bhutan 2 nbsp Bolivia 8 nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 nbsp Botswana 7 nbsp Brazil 221 nbsp British Virgin Islands 7 nbsp Brunei 1 nbsp Bulgaria 110 nbsp Burkina Faso 5 nbsp Burundi 7 nbsp Cambodia 5 nbsp Cameroon 15 nbsp Canada 303 nbsp Cape Verde 3 nbsp Cayman Islands 9 nbsp Central African Republic 5 nbsp Chad 4 nbsp Chile 21 nbsp China 294 nbsp Colombia 48 nbsp Comoros 4 nbsp Republic of the Congo 5 nbsp Cook Islands 3 nbsp Costa Rica 11 nbsp Croatia 84 nbsp Cuba 164 nbsp Cyprus 17 nbsp Czech Republic 115 nbsp Denmark 119 nbsp Djibouti 5 nbsp Dominica 6 nbsp Dominican Republic 16 nbsp Ecuador 19 nbsp Egypt 29 nbsp El Salvador 8 nbsp Equatorial Guinea 5 nbsp Estonia 43 nbsp Ethiopia 18 nbsp Fiji 17 nbsp Finland 76 nbsp France 299 nbsp Gabon 7 nbsp The Gambia 9 nbsp Georgia 34 nbsp Germany 465 nbsp Ghana 35 nbsp Great Britain 300 nbsp Greece 121 nbsp Grenada 5 nbsp Guam 8 nbsp Guatemala 26 nbsp Guinea 5 nbsp Guinea Bissau 3 nbsp Guyana 7 nbsp Haiti 7 nbsp Honduras 7 nbsp Hong Kong 23 nbsp Hungary 213 nbsp Iceland 9 nbsp India 49 nbsp Indonesia 40 nbsp Iran 18 nbsp Iraq 3 nbsp Ireland 78 nbsp Israel 25 nbsp Italy 340 nbsp Ivory Coast 11 nbsp Jamaica 45 nbsp Japan 306 nbsp Jordan 5 nbsp Kazakhstan 96 nbsp Kenya 52 nbsp North Korea 24 nbsp South Korea 303 nbsp Kuwait 25 nbsp Kyrgyzstan 33 nbsp Laos 5 nbsp Latvia 47 nbsp Lebanon 1 nbsp Lesotho 9 nbsp Liberia 5 nbsp Libya 5 nbsp Liechtenstein 2 nbsp Lithuania 61 nbsp Luxembourg 6 nbsp Macedonia 11 nbsp Madagascar 11 nbsp Malawi 2 nbsp Malaysia 35 nbsp Maldives 6 nbsp Mali 3 nbsp Malta 7 nbsp Mauritania 4 nbsp Mauritius 26 nbsp Mexico 98 nbsp Moldova 40 nbsp Monaco 3 nbsp Mongolia 16 nbsp Morocco 34 nbsp Mozambique 3 nbsp Myanmar 3 nbsp Namibia 8 nbsp Nauru 3 nbsp Nepal 6 nbsp Netherlands 239 nbsp Netherlands Antilles 6 nbsp New Zealand 95 nbsp Nicaragua 26 nbsp Niger 3 nbsp Nigeria 65 nbsp Norway 97 nbsp Oman 4 nbsp Pakistan 24 nbsp Palestine 1 nbsp Panama 7 nbsp Papua New Guinea 11 nbsp Paraguay 7 nbsp Peru 29 nbsp Philippines 12 nbsp Poland 165 nbsp Portugal 107 nbsp Puerto Rico 69 nbsp Qatar 12 nbsp Romania 165 nbsp Russia 390 nbsp Rwanda 4 nbsp Saint Kitts and Nevis 10 nbsp Saint Lucia 6 nbsp Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8 nbsp Western Samoa 5 nbsp San Marino 7 nbsp Sao Tome and Principe 2 nbsp Saudi Arabia 29 nbsp Senegal 11 nbsp Seychelles 9 nbsp Sierra Leone 14 nbsp Singapore 14 nbsp Slovakia 71 nbsp Slovenia 37 nbsp Solomon Islands 4 nbsp Somalia 4 nbsp South Africa 84 nbsp Spain 289 nbsp Sri Lanka 9 nbsp Sudan 4 nbsp Suriname 7 nbsp Swaziland 6 nbsp Sweden 177 nbsp Switzerland 115 nbsp Syria 7 nbsp Chinese Taipei 74 nbsp Tajikistan 8 nbsp Tanzania 7 nbsp Thailand 37 nbsp Togo 5 nbsp Tonga 5 nbsp Trinidad and Tobago 12 nbsp Tunisia 51 nbsp Turkey 53 nbsp Turkmenistan 7 nbsp Uganda 10 nbsp Ukraine 231 nbsp United Arab Emirates 4 nbsp United States 646 host nbsp Uruguay 14 nbsp Uzbekistan 71 nbsp Vanuatu 4 nbsp Venezuela 39 nbsp Vietnam 6 nbsp Virgin Islands 12 nbsp Yemen 4 nbsp FR Yugoslavia 68 nbsp Zaire 14 nbsp Zambia 8 nbsp Zimbabwe 13 Centennial Olympic Park bombing EditMain article Centennial Olympic Park bombing nbsp The marker at the entrance to Centennial Park in downtown AtlantaThe 1996 Olympics were marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing which occurred on July 27 Security guard Richard Jewell discovered the pipe bomb and immediately notified law enforcement helping to 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 a heart attack Jewell was later considered a suspect in the bombing but was never charged and he was cleared in October 1996 Fugitive Eric Rudolph was arrested in May 2003 and charged with the Olympic Park bombing as well as the bombings of two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub 32 At his trial two years later he confessed to all charges and afterwards released a statement saying 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 33 He received four life sentences without parole 32 to be served at USP Florence ADMAX near Florence Colorado Legacy Edit nbsp The 1996 Olympic cauldron designed by Siah Armajani nbsp The Flair Monument erected in remembrance of the 1996 GamesPreparations for the Olympics lasted more than seven years and had an economic impact of at least US 5 14 billion Over two million visitors came to Atlanta and approximately 3 5 billion people around the world watched at least some of the events on television Although marred by the tragedy of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing the Games were a financial success due in part to TV rights contracts and sponsorships at record levels 34 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 the Centennial Olympic Stadium was converted into Turner Field after the Paralympics which became the home of the Atlanta Braves 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 Omni Coliseum was demolished the same year to make way for 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 34 In November 2016 a commemorative plaque was unveiled for Centennial Olympic Park to honor the 20th anniversary of the Games 35 36 Following the Braves departure from Turner Field to Truist Park Georgia State University acquired the former Olympic Stadium and surrounding parking lots It reconfigured the stadium for a second time into Center Parc Stadium for its college football team The 1996 Olympic cauldron was originally built and placed at the intersection of Fulton Street and Capitol Avenue near the Centennial Olympic Stadium After the Paralympics as well as to make room for the stadium conversion the Olympic cauldron was moved except its ramp which was demolished to the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Fulton Street in 1997 where it has stayed since The Olympic cauldron was re lit in February 2020 for the 2020 U S Olympic Marathon Trials 37 The 1996 Olympics are the most recent edition of the Summer Olympics to be held in the United States Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics 32 years after the Games were held in Atlanta 38 Sponsors EditThe 1996 Summer Olympics relied heavily on commercial sponsorship The Atlanta based Coca Cola Company was the exclusive provider of soft drinks at Olympics venues and built an attraction known as Coca Cola Olympic City for the Games 39 As part of a sponsorship agreement with Columbia TriStar Television the syndicated game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both produced episodes with Olympics tie ins including branded memorabilia and contests for broadcast between April and July 1996 These included a Jeopardy international tournament and three weeks of Wheel of Fortune episodes filmed on location at Atlanta s Fox Theatre 40 41 42 The Games were affected by several instances of ambush marketing 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 Samsung competing with Motorola which ambushed the Games with its 96 Expo 43 44 The city of Atlanta had also licensed street vendors to sell products from competitors to Olympic sponsors 45 46 The most controversial ambush campaign was undertaken by Nike Inc 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 billboards it purchased in Atlanta 43 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 47 IOC marketing director Michael Payne expressed concern for the campaign believing that athletes could perceive them as being an insult to their accomplishments 47 Payne and the United States Olympic Committee s marketing director John Krimsky met with Howard Slusher a subordinate of Nike co founder Phil Knight The meeting quickly turned aggressive with Payne warning that the IOC could pull accreditation for Nike employees and ban the display of its logos on equipment he also threatened to organize a press conference where silver medallists from the Games as well as prominent Nike sponsored athlete Michael Johnson 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 47 Reception EditAt the closing ceremony IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said in his closing speech Well done Atlanta and simply called the Games most exceptional This broke precedent for Samaranch who had traditionally labeled each Games the best Olympics ever at each closing ceremony a practice he resumed at the subsequent Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 48 A report prepared after the Games by European Olympic officials was critical of Atlanta s performance in several key areas 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 49 IOC vice president Dick Pound responded to 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 45 In 1997 Athens Greece was 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 which some have claimed contributed to the financial crisis in Greece 50 51 52 The financial struggles faced by many later Games such as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have led later to more positive re appraisals of the management of the 1996 Summer Games Former JPMorgan Chase president and torchbearer Kabir Sehgal noted that in contrast to many later Games the 1996 Summer 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 1996 Games 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 14 The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will rely almost entirely on private funding with the city of Los Angeles and state of California each intending to provide up to 250 million in funding in the event of shortfalls and the federal government providing funding solely for security 53 54 55 See also Edit nbsp 1990s portal nbsp United States portal nbsp Olympic Games portal1996 Summer Paralympics Olympic Games celebrated in the United States 1904 Summer Olympics St Louis 1932 Summer Olympics Los Angeles 1932 Winter Olympics Lake Placid 1960 Winter Olympics Squaw Valley 1980 Winter Olympics Lake Placid 1984 Summer Olympics Los Angeles 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta 2002 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City 2028 Summer Olympics Los AngelesList of IOC country codes Use of performance enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games 1996 AtlantaReferences Edit a b Factsheet Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad PDF Press release International Olympic Committee October 9 2014 Archived PDF from the original on August 14 2016 Retrieved December 22 2018 Glanton Dahleen Atlanta debates how golden it was Chicago Tribune Retrieved November 28 2018 Live From PyeongChang TvTechnology Retrieved November 28 2018 Atlanta 20 years later Sports Business Journal Retrieved November 28 2018 Magnificent Seven reflects on their historic gold twenty years later Payne Michael 2006 Olympic turnaround how the Olympic Games stepped back from the brink of Extinction to Become the Best Known Brand Westport Ct Praeger Publishers ISBN 0 275 99030 3 a b c Weisman Steven R September 19 1990 Atlanta Selected Over Athens for 1996 Olympics The New York Times Retrieved September 23 2008 a b c Maloney Larry 2004 Atlanta 1996 In Finding John E Pelle Kimberly D eds Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement Greenwood Publishing Group pp 235 6 ISBN 9780313322785 Retrieved September 23 2008 Edwards Peter July 24 2015 Toronto has made 5 attempts to host the Olympics Could the sixth be the winner Toronto Star Longman Jere August 3 1997 Athens Pins Olympic Bid to World Meet The New York Times Retrieved September 23 2008 1996 Olympic Games Georgia Encyclopedia Retrieved February 24 2013 IOC Vote History www aldaver com Archived from the original on May 25 2008 Retrieved June 10 2008 The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was still in existence at the time of bidding for the 1996 Olympics although it would cease to exist by the time of the 1996 Summer Olympic games a b c What Rio Should Have Learned From Atlanta s 1996 Summer Olympics Fortune Retrieved March 20 2019 Applebome Peter August 4 1996 So You Want to Hold an Olympics The New York Times Retrieved August 17 2008 Engle Sam Marie 1999 The Olympic Legacy in Atlanta 1999 UNSWLJ 38 1999 22 3 University of New South Wales Law Journal 902 University of New South Wales Law Journal Archived from the original on November 30 2011 Retrieved June 16 2009 Atlanta Olympics By The Numbers Sports Business Daily July 18 2018 Retrieved March 20 2019 Gibson Owen October 9 2013 Sochi 2014 the costliest Olympics yet but where has all the money gone The Guardian Retrieved December 4 2020 Burbank Matthew et al 2001 Olympic Dreams The Impact of Mega Events on Local Politics Lynne Rienner Publishers p 97 Centennial Olympic Games PDF la84foundation org Archived from the original PDF on May 28 2008 Retrieved October 12 2009 ProReview Izzy s Quest for the Olympic Rings GamePro No 69 IDG April 1995 p 46 Atlanta Redefines Image With Come Celebrate Our Dream Slogan Seattle Times February 19 1995 Congratulations Note from Billy Payne December 30 2012 Remembering the Centennial Olympic Games in Savannah City of Savannah Retrieved June 3 2019 Exhibition The Power of Color Featuring works by Kevin Cole and Carl Joe Williams BLACK ART IN AMERICA January 29 2018 Retrieved May 13 2021 Basil Poledouris Biography Basil Poledouris website Archived from the original on February 20 2008 Retrieved February 19 2008 Erie Times News Erie Company s Olympic Work Shines June 10 1996 by Greg Lavine Plating and Surface Finishing Magazine August 1996 Issue Lohn John July 10 2021 The Con of Michelle Smith How the Irish Lass Cheated the Swimming World Swimming World Magazine Archived from the original on May 18 2021 Retrieved August 25 2021 Watterson John May 7 2020 Sporting Controversies Irish mist descends upon Michelle Smith s fairytale The Irish Times Archived from the original on May 7 2020 Retrieved August 25 2021 Atlanta 1996 Games of the XXVI Olympiad Olympic org Archived from the original on August 22 2008 Retrieved May 19 2007 a b Profile Eric Rudolph BBC News April 14 2005 Retrieved April 9 2021 Cummings Denis July 27 2011 On This Day Bomb Explodes in Atlanta s Olympic Park findingdulcinea com Retrieved September 28 2015 a b Glanton Dahleen September 21 2009 Olympics impact on Atlanta still subject to debate Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on February 5 2012 Retrieved July 14 2012 Vejnoska Jill November 1 2016 New historic marker for 1996 Games unveiled in Centennial Olympic Park Atlanta Journal Constitution Archived from the original on November 2 2016 Retrieved November 26 2018 Historical Marker planted for 1996 Centennial Olympic Games Atlanta Business Chronicle November 2 2016 Retrieved November 26 2018 Atalanta Olympic Cauldron Lit This Weekend For First Time Since 1996 Wharton David September 13 2017 L A officially awarded 2028 Olympic Games Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on September 20 2017 Retrieved September 13 2017 Collins Glenn March 28 1996 Coke s Hometown Olympics The Company Tries the Big Blitz on Its Own Turf New York Times Retrieved November 3 2013 Atlanta spinning Wheel for sponsorship fortune Washington Post March 16 1996 Retrieved April 17 2019 THAT WHEEL OF FORTUNE JUST KEEPS SPINNING ALONG Deseret News October 16 1995 Retrieved April 17 2019 Winship Frederick M January 24 1995 Game shows join 1996 Olympic games United Press International Archived from the original on August 29 2020 a b Heath Thomas July 17 1996 An Olympic Size Ambush Washington Post Retrieved November 26 2018 Samsung s Expo Gives It Olympic Exposure And BellSouth is putting out COWS SFGate July 2 1996 Retrieved November 27 2018 a b McGill s master of the rings McGill Reporter September 12 1996 Retrieved November 28 2018 Leuty Ron November 4 2001 Olympic bid smacks into 10M hurdle San Francisco Business Times Retrieved November 28 2018 a b c Emmett James June 16 2010 Rise of the pseudo sponsors A history of ambush marketing SportPro Archived from the original on January 3 2015 Retrieved January 3 2015 Samaranch calls these Olympics best ever ESPN com October 1 2000 Retrieved March 13 2009 Olympic Games Maligned Atlanta meets targets The Independent United Kingdom November 15 1996 Archived from the original on January 30 2012 Retrieved October 25 2010 Did 2004 Olympics Spark Greek Financial Crisis CNBC Associated Press June 3 2010 Longman Jere September 6 1997 Athens Wins a Vote for Tradition and the 2004 Olympics The New York Times Retrieved May 25 2010 Anderson Dave September 7 1997 Athens Can Thank Atlanta for 2004 Games New York Times Retrieved May 25 2010 Wharton David April 30 2019 Estimated cost of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics jumps to 6 9 billion Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on June 27 2019 Retrieved June 29 2019 Update on Los Angeles Bid for the 2024 Olympics California Legislative Analyst s Office March 23 2017 Archived from the original on June 1 2019 Retrieved June 18 2020 President Trump confirms government will assist L A during 2028 Olympics Los Angeles Times February 2020 Archived from the original on February 6 2022 Retrieved February 18 2020 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1996 Summer Olympics External video nbsp The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Film on YouTube Atlanta 1996 Olympics com International Olympic Committee Official Report of the Centennial Olympic Games Volume I Planning and Organizing Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles Official Report of the Centennial Olympic Games Volume II The Centennial Olympic Games Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles Official Report of the Centennial Olympic Games Volume III The Competition Results Digital Archive from the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles 1996 program from GPB about Atlanta and the 1996 Olympic Games Fences amp Neighborhoods 1996 06 07 The Walter J Brown Media Archives amp Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia American Archive of Public Broadcasting Atlanta Summer Games 25th anniversary Coverage from The Atlanta Journal ConstitutionSummer OlympicsPreceded byBarcelona XXVI OlympiadAtlanta1996 Succeeded bySydney Portals nbsp Olympics nbsp 1990s nbsp United States nbsp Georgia U S state Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1996 Summer Olympics amp oldid 1174420170, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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