2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The 2000 Summer Olympics, called the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and known as Sydney 2000, were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from September 15 to October 1, 2000. This was the second time the Summer Olympics took place in Australia and the first time they were held in the Southern Hemisphere. Many countries took part, making it one of the largest Olympic events ever.

The United States won the most medals, followed by Russia and China, with Australia coming fourth. Some countries won their first gold medals ever. Others won their first Olympic medals of any kind.

People around the world praised the Sydney Olympics. They said the Games were some of the best ever organized. The way the Games were run and the help from volunteers got great reviews. The city of London used what worked well in Sydney when it prepared to host the 2012 Olympics.

Host city selection

Main article: Bids for the 2000 Summer Olympics

Sydney was chosen to host the 2000 Summer Olympics on September 24, 1993. It beat out cities like Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul, and Manchester.

Later, Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, and Milan will host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The Games

Costs

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics cost about US$5 billion. This paid for the Games and building places to compete. The cost was similar to other recent Olympics.

In 2000, a report said the Games cost around A$6.6 billion. Some of this money came from public funds, and some was moved from education and health.

Chronological summary of the 2000 Summer Olympics

The football games started before the Opening Ceremony on 13 September. Australia lost 1–0 to Italy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Day 1: 15 September

Cultural display highlights

The opening ceremony showed Australia's history. It started with a tribute to Australian stockmen and their horses. Steve Jefferys and his horse “Ammo” led 120 riders into the stadium. They performed steps and formed the Olympic Rings.

The Australian National Anthem was sung by Human Nature and Julie Anthony.

The ceremony showed many parts of Australian life: the sea, the first people, immigration, and rural life. Two memorable parts were a dance by 200 Aboriginal women and a noisy tap-dancing performance.

Because the wife of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch was ill, Dawn Fraser, a former Olympic swimmer, joined Samaranch during the ceremony.

Formal presentation

A record 199 nations entered the stadium. The only missing nation was Afghanistan, which was banned. The athletes from North and South Korea entered together under a special unification flag. Four athletes from East Timor also marched before the host country. The Governor-General opened the games.

The Olympic Flag was carried by eight former Australian Olympic champions. The Olympic Hymn was sung, followed by a song by Tina Arena.

The ceremony ended with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. Cathy Freeman, an Aboriginal woman, lit the flame. There was a small problem with the computer, but the flame was lit successfully.

Day 2: 16 September

The first medals were awarded in the women’s 10-metre air rifle competition, won by Nancy Johnson of the United States.

The triathlon made its Olympic debut. Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland won the first gold medal.

The first star was 17-year-old Australian Ian Thorpe, who set a new world record in the 400-metre freestyle. He also helped the Australian team win the 4 × 100 m freestyle final.

Samaranch had to leave because his wife was ill. She passed away, and the Olympic flag was flown at half-staff. Samaranch returned four days later.

Day 3: 17 September

Canadian Simon Whitfield won the men’s triathlon.

On the cycling track, Robert Bartko of Germany won the individual pursuit. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands set a world record in the same event for women.

In swimming, American Tom Dolan beat the world record in the 400-metre medley. Dutchwoman Inge de Bruijn also set a new world record in the 100 m butterfly.

Day 4: 18 September

The main event was the 200 m freestyle. Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband won, finishing ahead of Ian Thorpe.

China won the men’s team all-around gymnastics competition. Ukraine and Russia won the other medals.

Zijlaard-van Moorsel won the gold medal in cycling.

Day 7: 21 September

During the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around, some athletes had trouble with the vault equipment. Some performed poorly, and others were hurt.

Day 9: 23 September

Steve Redgrave of Great Britain won gold in rowing, completing five consecutive Olympic gold medals.

The swimming 4 x 100-metre medley relay team from the United States set a world record and won gold.

Day 10: 24 September

Rulon Gardner of the United States beat Alexander Karelin of Russia to win gold in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Day 11: 25 September

Australian Cathy Freeman won the 400-metre final. She was the first person to light the Olympic Flame and then win a gold medal.

In basketball, Vince Carter of the United States made a famous dunk.

Day 14: 28 September

The Canadian flag was lowered to half-mast to honor former prime minister Pierre Trudeau after his death.

Day 16: 30 September

Cameroon won gold in the Men’s Olympic Football Final against Spain.

Day 17: 1 October

The last event was the Men’s Marathon, won by Ethiopian Gezahegne Abera.

IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said the Sydney Games were the best ever.

Sports

The 2000 Summer Olympics had 300 events in 28 sports.

Wheelchair racing was an exhibition event.

Special rules allowed horses to enter Australia for equestrian events.

Calendar

All dates are in AEDST (UTC+11); the other two cities, Adelaide uses ACST (UTC+9:30) and Brisbane uses AEST (UTC+10)

Participating National Olympic Committees

199 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) took part in the Sydney Games. Eritrea, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau joined for the first time.

Afghanistan did not participate because of the Taliban’s rule.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

10,647 athletes from 199 NOCs took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Medal table

Here are the top ten countries that won medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics. The order of the countries is based on information from the International Olympic Committee. Some other lists might look different because of later changes due to rule breaking.

 ‡  Changes in medal standings (see here)

  *   Host nation (Australia)

Organisation

Many groups worked together to plan and run the Sydney 2000 Olympics. These included the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) and the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC). They helped put on the Games. Other groups like the Olympic Coordination Authority (OCA) and the Olympic Roads & Transport Authority (ORTA) helped build and manage things. There was also a special security team, and companies like IBM and Telstra provided technology and communication help.

The Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee was responsible for the Paralympic Games, but SOCOG helped with many plans and operations. The Games included sports events, building venues, the Olympic torch relay, and the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival.

Many people helped during the Games. Thousands of volunteers worked at venues and around the city, and they were celebrated with a special parade. The main venues were in Sydney Olympic Park, which had many places for different sports. Other venues were in Sydney and nearby cities like Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Main article: Sydney Olympic Park

• Stadium Australia: Ceremonies, Athletics, Football (final)

• Sydney International Aquatic Centre: Diving, Modern Pentathlon (swimming), Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo

• State Sports Centre: Table Tennis, Taekwondo

• NSW Tennis Centre: Tennis

• State Hockey Centre: Field Hockey

• The Dome and Exhibition Complex: Badminton, Basketball, Gymnastics (rhythmic), Handball, Modern Pentathlon, Volleyball

• Sydney SuperDome: Gymnastics, Basketball

• Sydney Baseball Stadium: Baseball, Modern Pentathlon

• Sydney International Archery Park: Archery

• Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Weightlifting, Wrestling

• Sydney Entertainment Centre: Volleyball

• Dunc Gray Velodrome: Cycling (track)

• Sydney International Shooting Centre: Shooting

• Sydney International Equestrian Centre: Equestrian

• Sydney International Regatta Centre: Rowing, Canoeing

• Blacktown Olympic Centre: Baseball, Softball

• Western Sydney Parklands: Cycling (mountain biking)

• Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre: Water Polo

• Penrith Whitewater Stadium: Canoeing (slalom)

• Bondi Beach: Volleyball (beach)

• Sydney Football Stadium: Football

• Olympic Sailing Shore Base: Sailing

• Centennial Parklands: Cycling (road)

• Marathon course: Athletics (marathon)

• North Sydney: Athletics (marathon start)

• Sydney Opera House: Triathlon

• Canberra Stadium, Canberra: Football

• Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide: Football

• Melbourne Cricket Ground: Football

• The Gabba (Brisbane Cricket Ground), Brisbane: Football

Sydney Olympic Arts Festival

Further information: Olympic Arts Festival

The Sydney Olympic Arts Festival was a fun art event before and during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Each Olympic host country has art festivals.

The festival had many kinds of shows. There were concerts by famous orchestras, dance shows, and plays. Many shows were at the famous Sydney Opera House, but there were also shows at other theaters. The festival started with a special welcome for people from all over the world and ended on the last day of the Olympics.

Marketing

Emblem

The Games had special designs made by a company in Melbourne. The emblem is called the "Millennium Man." It shows a runner with arms and legs shaped like boomerangs. The smoke behind the runner looks like the roof of the Sydney Opera House. The designers wanted the emblem to be simple enough for a child to draw. It shows pride in Australian creativity.

Mascots

Main article: Olly, Syd and Millie

The official Olympic mascots for the 2000 Summer Games were Syd the platypus, Millie the echidna, and Olly the kookaburra. They were designed by artists Matthew Hattan and Jozef Szekeres.

Sponsors

Medals and bouquets

In the 2000 Summer Olympics, athletes from around the world won medals. They won gold, silver, and bronze medals. The gold and silver medals were made from pure silver. The bronze medals were made from old coins that were no longer used as money.

Winners also received flower bouquets with leaves from a special plant called the Grevillea baileyana.

Awards and commendations

The International Olympic Committee gave Sydney a special award called the "Pierre de Coubertin Trophy" for its great work and friendly spirit during the games. People felt very welcome.

After the games, the New South Wales Police Force received permission to use the Olympic Rings in a new award. They helped keep the games safe for everyone.

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards, often just called the Mo Awards, were yearly awards in Australia. They celebrated great work in live entertainment from 1975 to 2016.

In popular culture

The 2000 Summer Olympics appeared in many stories and shows. In a book called Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman, a cane toad tries to become the Olympic mascot. There was also a TV show called The Games that made fun of some problems in the Olympic world.

In a story by Tom Clancy called Rainbow Six and its video game, some characters had plans that could go wrong during the Olympics. In the world of the Cyberpunk game, the 2000 Olympics did not happen because of money issues and disagreements about land.