1996 Summer Olympics

Games of the XXVI Olympiad

Emblem of the 1996 Summer Olympics
Location	Atlanta, United States
Motto	The Celebration of the Century
Nations	197
Athletes	10,318 (6,806 men, 3,512 women)[1]
Events	271 in 26 sports (37 disciplines)
Opening	July 19, 1996
Closing	August 4, 1996
Opened by	President Bill Clinton[2]
Cauldron	Muhammad Ali[2]
Stadium	Centennial Olympic Stadium
Summer ← Barcelona 1992 Sydney 2000 → Winter ← Lillehammer 1994 Nagano 1998 → 1996 Summer Paralympics

Part of a series on
1996 Summer Olympics
Bid process (bid details) Venues Marketing (mascots) Broadcasters Torch relay Opening ceremony (flag bearers) Medal table (medalists) Closing ceremony Event calendar World and Olympic records IOC USOC
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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)^[3][4][5] 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, making it the first country to have three different cities host the Summer Olympics.^[6] It also marked 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 to be held in a different year than the Winter Olympics since the Winter Olympics commenced in 1924, 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.

10,318 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 4 x 200 freestyle relay, 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 both the gold and overall medal count 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 meters; 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.^[7]

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 were 8.3 million tickets sold for events at this Olympics, a record broken only in 2024. There was some criticism of the perceived 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, then as the Center Parc American football stadium.

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.^[8] The US media also criticized Atlanta 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.^[9] 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 partner of the Olympics, was also a strong advocate to bring the Games to its hometown.^[10] The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) also proposed a substantial revenue-sharing with the IOC, USOC, and other NOCs.^[10] 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).^[11]

Greece, the home of the ancient and first modern Olympics, was considered by many observers the "natural choice" for the Centennial Games,^[9][10] due to its "divine right" in history.^[12] Athens bid chairman Spyros Metaxas gave repeated warnings to the IOC and demanded to give them the games to mark the centennial, saying "You don't hold a 100th birthday in someone else's home. The Centenary Games should be held in Athens."^[12] He also warned that "if we don't get the Olympics in 1996 we will never bid again to host them."^[13]

However, 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."^[9][14][15] Athens would later be selected to host the 2004 Summer Olympics seven years later on September 5, 1997.^[16]

1996 Summer Olympics bidding results^[17]

City	Country	Round
		1	2	3	4	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[18]	7	—	—	—	—

The total cost of the 1996 Summer Olympics was estimated to be around US$1.7 billion.^[19] The venues and the Games themselves were funded entirely via private investment,^[20] 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.^[21] $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.^[22][19]

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.^[23]

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.^[24][25]

• 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 – Shooting

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 in 1984, NBC's coverage composer in 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.^[26]

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^[27] 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."^[28]

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).^[29]

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.^[30]

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4); the other, Birmingham, Alabama, uses Central Daylight Time (UTC-5)

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.^[31]

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.^[32][33]

The 1996 Summer Olympic program 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 Program

Aquatics  Diving (4)  Swimming (32)  Synchronized swimming (1)  Water polo (1)  Archery (4)  Athletics (44)  Badminton (5)  Baseball (1)  Basketball (2)  Boxing (12)  Canoeing Sprint (12) Slalom (4)  Cycling Road (4) Track (8) Mountain biking (2)  Equestrian Dressage (2) Eventing (2) Show jumping (2)  Fencing (10)  Field hockey (2)  Football (2)  Gymnastics Artistic (14) Rhythmic (2)  Handball (2)  Judo (14)  Modern pentathlon (1)  Rowing (14)  Sailing (10)  Shooting (15)  Softball (1)  Table tennis (4)  Tennis (4)  Volleyball Volleyball (2) Beach volleyball (2)  Weightlifting (10)  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 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-meter and 200-meter 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.^[34][35]

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.^[36] 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.

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).

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 U.S. 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, Czech Republic, 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.^{[citation needed]}

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

  *   Host nation (United States)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States*	44	32	25	101
2	Russia	26	21	16	63
3	Germany	20	18	27	65
4	China	16	22	12	50
5	France	15	7	15	37
6	Italy	13	10	12	35
7	Australia	9	9	23	41
8	Cuba	9	8	8	25
9	Ukraine	9	2	12	23
10	South Korea	7	15	5	27
Totals (10 entries)		168	144	155	467

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.^[37] 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. After missing the 1992 Summer Games Afghanistan and Cambodia returned to send delegations to Atlanta.

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.^{[citation needed]}

Participating National Olympic Committees

Afghanistan (2)  Albania (7)  Algeria (45)  American Samoa (7)  Andorra (8)  Angola (28)  Antigua and Barbuda (13)  Argentina (179)  Armenia (32)  Aruba (3)  Australia (417)  Austria (72)  Azerbaijan (23)  Bahamas (26)  Bahrain (5)  Bangladesh (4)  Barbados (13)  Belarus (157)  Belgium (61)  Belize (5)  Benin (5)  Bermuda (9)  Bhutan (2)  Bolivia (8)  Bosnia and Herzegovina (9)  Botswana (7)  Brazil (221)  British Virgin Islands (7)  Brunei (1)  Bulgaria (110)  Burkina Faso (5)  Burundi (7)  Cambodia (5)  Cameroon (15)  Canada (303)  Cape Verde (3)  Cayman Islands (9)  Central African Republic (5)  Chad (4)  Chile (21)  China (294)  Colombia (48)  Comoros (4)  Republic of the Congo (5)  Cook Islands (3)  Costa Rica (11)  Croatia (84)  Cuba (164)  Cyprus (17)  Czech Republic (115)  Denmark (119)  Djibouti (5)  Dominica (6)  Dominican Republic (16)  Ecuador (19)  Egypt (29)  El Salvador (8)  Equatorial Guinea (5)  Estonia (43)  Ethiopia (18)  Fiji (17)  Finland (76)  France (299)  Gabon (7)  The Gambia (9)  Georgia (34)  Germany (465)  Ghana (35)  Great Britain (300)  Greece (121)  Grenada (5)  Guam (8)  Guatemala (26)  Guinea (5)  Guinea-Bissau (3)  Guyana (7)  Haiti (7)  Honduras (7)  Hong Kong (23)  Hungary (213)  Iceland (9)  India (49)  Indonesia (40)  Iran (18)  Iraq (3)  Ireland (78)  Israel (25)  Italy (340)  Ivory Coast (11)  Jamaica (45)  Japan (306)  Jordan (5)  Kazakhstan (96)  Kenya (52)  North Korea (24)  South Korea (303)  Kuwait (25)  Kyrgyzstan (33)  Laos (5)  Latvia (47)  Lebanon (1)  Lesotho (9)  Liberia (5)  Libya (5)  Liechtenstein (2)  Lithuania (61)  Luxembourg (6)  Macedonia (11)  Madagascar (11)  Malawi (2)  Malaysia (35)  Maldives (6)  Mali (3)  Malta (7)  Mauritania (4)  Mauritius (26)  Mexico (98)  Moldova (40)  Monaco (3)  Mongolia (16)  Morocco (34)  Mozambique (3)  Myanmar (3)  Namibia (8)  Nauru (3)  Nepal (6)  Netherlands (239)  Netherlands Antilles (6)  New Zealand (95)  Nicaragua (26)  Niger (3)  Nigeria (65)  Norway (97)  Oman (4)  Pakistan (24)  Palestine (1)  Panama (7)  Papua New Guinea (11)  Paraguay (7)  Peru (29)  Philippines (12)  Poland (165)  Portugal (107)  Puerto Rico (69)  Qatar (12)  Romania (165)  Russia (390)  Rwanda (4)  Saint Kitts and Nevis (10)  Saint Lucia (6)  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (8)  Western Samoa (5)  San Marino (7)  São Tomé and Príncipe (2)  Saudi Arabia (29)  Senegal (11)  Seychelles (9)  Sierra Leone (14)  Singapore (14)  Slovakia (71)  Slovenia (37)  Solomon Islands (4)  Somalia (4)  South Africa (84)  Spain (289)  Sri Lanka (9)  Sudan (4)  Suriname (7)  Swaziland (6)  Sweden (177)  Switzerland (115)  Syria (7)  Chinese Taipei (74)  Tajikistan (8)  Tanzania (7)  Thailand (37)  Togo (5)  Tonga (5)  Trinidad and Tobago (12)  Tunisia (51)  Turkey (53)  Turkmenistan (7)  Uganda (10)  Ukraine (231)  United Arab Emirates (4)  United States (646) (host)  Uruguay (14)  Uzbekistan (71)  Vanuatu (4)  Venezuela (39)  Vietnam (6)  Virgin Islands (12)  Yemen (4)  FR Yugoslavia (68)  Zaire (14)  Zambia (8)  Zimbabwe (13)

10,339 athletes from 197 NOCs participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

IOC Letter Code	Country	Athletes
AFG	Afghanistan	2
ALB	Albania	7
ALG	Algeria	45
ASA	American Samoa	7
AND	Andorra	8
ANG	Angola	28
ANT	Antigua and Barbuda	13
ARG	Argentina	179
ARM	Armenia	32
ARU	Aruba	3
AUS	Australia	417
AUT	Austria	72
AZE	Azerbaijan	23
BAH	Bahamas	26
BRN	Bahrain	5
BAN	Bangladesh	4
BAR	Barbados	13
BLR	Belarus	157
BEL	Belgium	61
BIZ	Belize	5
BEN	Benin	5
BER	Bermuda	9
BHU	Bhutan	2
BOL	Bolivia	8
BIH	Bosnia and Herzegovina	9
BOT	Botswana	7
BRA	Brazil	221
IVB	British Virgin Islands	7
BRU	Brunei	1
BUL	Bulgaria	110
BUR	Burkina Faso	5
BDI	Burundi	7
CAM	Cambodia	5
CMR	Cameroon	15
CAN	Canada	303
CPV	Cape Verde	3
CAY	Cayman Islands	9
CAF	Central African Republic	5
CHA	Chad	4
CHI	Chile	21
CHN	China	294
COL	Colombia	48
COM	Comoros	4
CGO	Republic of the Congo	5
COK	Cook Islands	3
CRC	Costa Rica	11
CRO	Croatia	84
CUB	Cuba	164
CYP	Cyprus	17
CZE	Czech Republic	115
DEN	Denmark	119
DJI	Djibouti	5
DMA	Dominica	6
DOM	Dominican Republic	16
ECU	Ecuador	19
EGY	Egypt	29
ESA	El Salvador	8
GEQ	Equatorial Guinea	5
EST	Estonia	43
ETH	Ethiopia	18
FIJ	Fiji	17
FIN	Finland	76
FRA	France	299
GAB	Gabon	7
GAM	The Gambia	9
GEO	Georgia	34
GER	Germany	465
GHA	Ghana	35
GBR	Great Britain	300
GRE	Greece	121
GRN	Grenada	5
GUM	Guam	8
GUA	Guatemala	26
GUI	Guinea	5
GBS	Guinea-Bissau	3
GUY	Guyana	7
HAI	Haiti	7
HON	Honduras	7
HKG	Hong Kong	23
HUN	Hungary	213
ISL	Iceland	9
IND	India	49
INA	Indonesia	40
IRI	Iran	18
IRQ	Iraq	3
IRL	Ireland	78
ISR	Israel	25
ITA	Italy	340
CIV	Ivory Coast	11
JAM	Jamaica	45
JPN	Japan	306
JOR	Jordan	5
KAZ	Kazakhstan	96
KEN	Kenya	52
PRK	North Korea	24
KOR	South Korea	303
KUW	Kuwait	25
KGZ	Kyrgyzstan	33
LAO	Laos	5
LAT	Latvia	47
LIB	Lebanon	1
LES	Lesotho	9
LBR	Liberia	5
LBA	Libya	5
LIE	Liechtenstein	2
LTU	Lithuania	61
LUX	Luxembourg	6
MKD	Macedonia	11
MAD	Madagascar	11
MAW	Malawi	2
MAS	Malaysia	35
MDV	Maldives	6
MLI	Mali	3
MLT	Malta	7
MTN	Mauritania	4
MRI	Mauritius	26
MEX	Mexico	98
MDA	Moldova	40
MON	Monaco	3
MGL	Mongolia	16
MAR	Morocco	34
MOZ	Mozambique	3
MYA	Myanmar	3
NAM	Namibia	8
NRU	Nauru	3
NEP	Nepal	6
NED	Netherlands	239
AHO	Netherlands Antilles	6
NZL	New Zealand	95
NCA	Nicaragua	26
NIG	Niger	3
NGR	Nigeria	65
NOR	Norway	97
OMA	Oman	4
PAK	Pakistan	24
PLE	Palestine	1
PAN	Panama	7
PNG	Papua New Guinea	11
PAR	Paraguay	7
PER	Peru	29
PHI	Philippines	12
POL	Poland	165
POR	Portugal	107
PUR	Puerto Rico	69
QAT	Qatar	12
ROU	Romania	165
RUS	Russia	390
RWA	Rwanda	4
SKN	Saint Kitts and Nevis	10
LCA	Saint Lucia	6
VIN	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	8
WSM	Western Samoa	5
SMR	San Marino	7
STP	São Tomé and Príncipe	2
KSA	Saudi Arabia	29
SEN	Senegal	11
SEY	Seychelles	9
SLE	Sierra Leone	14
SIN	Singapore	14
SVK	Slovakia	71
SLO	Slovenia	37
SOL	Solomon Islands	4
SOM	Somalia	4
RSA	South Africa	84
ESP	Spain	289
SRI	Sri Lanka	9
SUD	Sudan	4
SUR	Suriname	7
SWZ	Swaziland	6
SWE	Sweden	177
SUI	Switzerland	115
SYR	Syria	7
TPE	Chinese Taipei	74
TJK	Tajikistan	8
TAN	Tanzania	7
THA	Thailand	37
TOG	Togo	5
TGA	Tonga	5
TRI	Trinidad and Tobago	12
TUN	Tunisia	51
TUR	Turkey	53
TKM	Turkmenistan	7
UGA	Uganda	10
UKR	Ukraine	231
UAE	United Arab Emirates	4
USA	United States	646
URU	Uruguay	14
UZB	Uzbekistan	71
VAN	Vanuatu	4
VEN	Venezuela	39
VIE	Vietnam	6
ISV	Virgin Islands	12
YEM	Yemen	4
YUG	FR Yugoslavia	68
ZAI	Zaire	14
ZAM	Zambia	8
ZIM	Zimbabwe	13

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.^[38] 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."^[39] He received four life sentences without parole,^[38] to be served at USP Florence ADMAX near Florence, Colorado.

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.^[40] Atlanta also set a new record for the most tickets sold at a single Games (8.3 million), and held it until 2024.^[41]

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.^[40]

In November 2016, a commemorative plaque was unveiled for Centennial Olympic Park to honor the 20th anniversary of the Games.^[42][43]

Following the Braves' departure from Turner Field to Truist Park in 2017, 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, in order 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. Since Georgia State University's acquisition of the former Olympic Stadium and surrounding lots, there has been proposals and growing calls to move the Olympic cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park.^[44][45][46]

The Olympic cauldron was re-lit in February 2020 for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.^[47]

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.^[48]

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.^[49] 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.^[50][51][52]

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".^[53][54] The city of Atlanta had also licensed street vendors to sell products from competitors to Olympic sponsors.^[55][56]

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.^[53] 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).^[57] IOC marketing director Michael Payne expressed concern for the campaign, believing that athletes could perceive them as being an insult to their accomplishments.^[57] 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 public relations stunts.^[57]

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.^[58]

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.^[59] 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."^[55]

In 1997, Athens 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.^[60][61][62]

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 caused some to offer more positive reappraisals of the management of the 1996 Summer Games. Former JPMorgan Chase president (and torchbearer) Kabir Sehgal noted that in contrast to many later Olympics, those of 1996 were financially viable, had a positive economic impact on the city, and most of the facilities constructed continued to be used after the Games. 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.^[19] 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 U.S. federal government providing funding solely for security.^[63][64][65]

• 1996 Summer Paralympics
• Olympic Games held 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 Angeles
  • 2034 Winter Olympics – Salt Lake City

• List of IOC country codes
• Use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games – 1996 Atlanta

Archives at
Location Georgia Institute of Technology Archives & Special Collections  Identifiers UA063  Source Olympic/Paralympic Planning Office Records
How to use archival material

External videos
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 & 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
• "Collection: Olympic/Paralympic Photograph Collection | Georgia Tech Archives Finding Aids". finding-aids.library.gatech.edu. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.