 The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with "priestesses" dancing. The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were celebrated in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to August 29, 2004. 10,625 athletes competed,[1] some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries.[1] Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports.[1] This article is about the capital of Greece. ...
is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is a list of presidents of Greece. ...
Kostantinos Stefanopoulos Konstantinos Stephanopoulos was born in Patras on 15 August 1926. ...
The Olympic Oath is taken by an athlete and a judge at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. ...
Zoi Dimoschaki (b. ...
The Olympic Oath is taken by an athlete and a judge at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. ...
Lazaros Voreadis (b. ...
The flame at the 2002 Winter Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important marketing promotion and symbol of the Olympic Games. ...
Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (Greek: Îίκος Κακλαμανάκης) is the Greek Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ...
Athens Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. ...
The Olympic Stadium (Greek: Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο) (also known as the Athens Olympic Stadium, and Spiridon Spiros Louis Stadium, named after the man to win the first Olympic marathon race) in 1896, is a stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. ...
Download high resolution version (1472x860, 239 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Download high resolution version (1472x860, 239 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
This article is about the capital of Greece. ...
is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The 1996 Summer h Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...
National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide olympic movement. ...
Medal count -
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games: This is the full table of the medal count of the 2004 Summer Olympics. ...
For other uses, see Nation (disambiguation). ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ...
Bid and preparations -
Athens was chosen as the host city during the 106th IOC Session held in Lausanne in September 5, 1997, after surprisingly losing the bid to organize the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta nearly seven years before, on September 18, 1990, during the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo. Athens, under the direction of Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, pursued another bid, this time for the right to organize the 2004 games. The success of Athens in securing the 2004 Games was based largely on Athens' appeal to Olympic history and the emphasis that it placed on the pivotal role that Greece and Athens played in the promotion of the Olympic Movement. After leading all voting rounds, Athens easily defeated Rome in the 5th and final vote. Cape Town, Stockholm, and Buenos Aires, the three other cities that made the IOC shortlist, were eliminated in prior rounds of voting. Six other cities submitted applications, but their bids were dropped by the IOC in 1996. These cities were Istanbul, Lille, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Seville, and Saint Petersburg.[2] Five cities made the shortlist with their bids to host the 2004 Summer Olympics (formally known as Games of the XXVIII Olympiad), which were awarded to Athens, on September 5, 1997. ...
This article is about the capital of Greece. ...
Lausanne (pronounced ) is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura mountains to its north. ...
is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
The 1996 Summer h Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...
This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ...
is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the year. ...
For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ...
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business woman. ...
The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ...
This article is about the capital of Greece. ...
For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ...
Nickname: Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Coordinates: , Country Province Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality Founded 1652 Government [1] - Type City council - Mayor Helen Zille - City manager Achmat Ebrahim Area [2] - Total 2,454. ...
For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...
Location of Istanbul on the Bosphorus Strait, Turkey Coordinates: , Country Turkey Region Province Istanbul Founded 667 BC as Byzantium Roman/Byzantine period AD 330 as Constantinople Ottoman period 1453 as Constantinople (internationally) and various other names in local languages Turkish Republic period 1923 as Constantinople, officially renamed as Istanbul in...
For other uses, see Lille (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the Brazilian city. ...
For other uses, see San Juan. ...
For other uses, see Seville (disambiguation). ...
Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...
On 2004 November 13 the Greek embassy estimated the costs of hosting the Olympics at 8.954 billion Euros (about $11.2 billion in 2004) not including construction made regardless of the Games, but including 1.08 billion Euros ($1.35 billion) in security costs.[3] NBC Universal paid the IOC $793 million for U.S. broadcast rights,[4] the most paid by any country. NBC made it possible for the network to broadcast over 1200 hours of coverage during the games, triple what was broadcast in the U.S. four years earlier. Between all the NBC Universal networks (NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, USA Network & Telemundo) the games were on television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This article is about the capital of Greece. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ...
For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ...
Nickname: Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Coordinates: , Country Province Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality Founded 1652 Government [1] - Type City council - Mayor Helen Zille - City manager Achmat Ebrahim Area [2] - Total 2,454. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ...
For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ...
For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
USD redirects here. ...
NBC Universal is a media and entertainment conglomerate formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electrics NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of Vivendi Universal. ...
This article is about the television network. ...
The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games celebrated in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ...
This article is about CNBC U.S., the business news channel in the U.S.. For other uses, see CNBC (disambiguation). ...
For the news website, see msnbc. ...
This article is about the U.S. cable network. ...
USA Network is a popular American cable television network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. ...
Telemundo is an American television network based in Hialeah, Florida. ...
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, concerns about terrorism were much higher. Greece increased the budget for security at the Olympics to €970 million (US$1.2 billion). Approximately 70,000 police officers patrolled Athens and the Olympic venues during the Olympics. NATO and the European Union also provided minor support, after Athens asked for co-operation. A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...
Terrorist redirects here. ...
This article is about the military alliance. ...
When the International Olympic Committee expressed its concern over the progress of construction work of the new Olympic venues, a new Organizing Committee was formed in 2000 under President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki. In the years leading up to the Games, Athens was transformed into a city that uses state-of-the-art technology in transportation and urban development. Some of the most modern sporting venues in the world at the time were built to host the 2004 Olympic Games. Stamp The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. ...
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business woman. ...
Construction of the venues
 Inside the Athens Olympic Stadium By late March 2004, some Olympic projects were still behind schedule, and Greek authorities announced that a roof it had initially proposed as an optional, non-vital addition to the Aquatics Center would no longer be built. The main Olympic Stadium, the designated facility for the opening and closing ceremonies, was completed only two months before the games opened, with the sliding over of a futuristic glass roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The same architect also designed the Velodrome and other facilities. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3076x848, 243 KB) Summary Pics taken and stitched by me personally. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3076x848, 243 KB) Summary Pics taken and stitched by me personally. ...
Santiago Calatrava Valls (born July 28, 1951) is an internationally recognized and award-winning Spanish architect and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zurich, Switzerland. ...
Look up velodrome in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
 Sunset view of the Velodrome -left- and OAKA Arch & Plaza adjacent to the Olympic Stadium Other facilities, such as the streetcar line linking venues in southern Athens with the city proper, were considerably behind schedule just two months before the games. The subsequent pace of preparation, however, made the rush to finish the Athens venues one of the tightest in Olympics history. The Greeks, unperturbed, maintained that they would make it all along. By July/August 2004, all venues were delivered: in August, the Olympic Stadium was officially completed and opened, joined or preceded by the official completion and openings of other venues within the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OAKA), and the sports complexes in Faliro and Helliniko. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1211 KB) Sunset view of the Velodrome, Arch and Plaza of the OAKA Complex. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1211 KB) Sunset view of the Velodrome, Arch and Plaza of the OAKA Complex. ...
A tram system, tramway, or street railway is a railway on which trams (streetcars, trolleys) run. ...
The Athens Olympic Sports Complex is the central group of facilities for the 2004 Summer Olympics. ...
 The OAKA Plaza and Arch adjacent to the Olympic Stadium Late July and early August witnessed the Athens Tram and Light Rail become operational, and these two systems finally connected Athens with its waterfront communities along the Saronic Gulf, such as its port city of Piraeus, Agios Kosmas (site of the sailing venue), Helliniko (the site of the old international airport which now contained the fencing venue, the canoe/kayak slalom course, the 14,500-seater indoor basketball arena, and the softball and baseball stadia), and Faliro (site of the taekwondo, handball, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball venues, as well as the newly-reconstructed Karaiskaki Stadium for football). The upgrades to the Athens Ring Road were also delivered just in time, as were the expressway upgrades connecting Athens proper with peripheral areas such as Markopoulo (site of the shooting and equestrian venues), the newly constructed Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Schinias (site of the rowing venue), Maroussi (site of the OAKA), Parnitha (site of the Olympic Village), Galatsi (site of the rhythmic gymnastics and table tennis venue), and Vouliagmeni (site of the triathlon venue). The upgrades to the Athens Metro were also completed, and the new lines became operational by mid-summer. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1348 KB) View of the OAKA Plaza and Arch taken on the final day of the Games. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1348 KB) View of the OAKA Plaza and Arch taken on the final day of the Games. ...
The Saronic Gulf or Gulf of Aegina in Greece forms part of the Aegean Sea and defines the eastern side of the isthmus of Corinth. ...
It has been suggested that Kaminia (Piraeus), Greece be merged into this article or section. ...
The Karaiskaki Stadium is located near Piraeus in the Faliro area of Athens, Greece. ...
The E. Venizelos Athens International Airport The Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, which began operation in March 2001, serves the city of Athens in Greece. ...
The Athens Metro is the underground public transport system of Athens, Greece, constructed by the Attiko Metro company (Αττικό ΜετÏÏŒ, literally Attican metro) and the ISAP (Ilektrikoi Sidirodromoi Athinon-Pireos) company (ΗλεκτÏικοί ΣιδηÏόδÏομοι Αθηνών-ΠειÏαιώς Athens - Piraeus Electric Railways). The Athens Metro is one of the most impressive underground Mass Transit systems in the world because...
The lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame took place on March 25 in Ancient Olympia. For the first time ever, the flame travelled around the world in a relay to former Olympic cities and other large cities, before returning to Greece. Image File history File links Route_of_Olympic_Flame_Worldwide. ...
Image File history File links Route_of_Olympic_Flame_Worldwide. ...
The flame at the 2002 Winter Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important marketing promotion and symbol of the Olympic Games. ...
For the first time, the Olympic Flame circumnavigated the globe, starting in Olympia in advance of the 2004 games. ...
The flame at the 2002 Winter Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important marketing promotion and symbol of the Olympic Games. ...
is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Olympia among the principal Greek sanctuaries Olympia (Greek: OlympÃa or Olýmpia, older transliterations, Olimpia, Olimbia), a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. ...
For the first time, the Olympic Flame circumnavigated the globe, starting in Olympia in advance of the 2004 games. ...
EMI released Unity, the official pop album of the Athens Olympics, in the leadup to the Olympics. It features contributions from Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Moby, Destiny's Child, Hikaru Utada and Avril Lavigne. EMI has pledged to donate US$180,000 from the album to UNICEF's HIV/AIDS program in Sub-Saharan Africa.[5] For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the genre of popular music. ...
Sting in Budapest, 2000 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ...
Leonard Albert Lenny Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and arranger whose retro style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk, and ballads. ...
Moby (born Richard Melville Hall, September 11, 1965) is an American DJ, songwriter, musician and singer. ...
This article is about the group. ...
Utada (宇多田ヒカル Utada Hikaru, born January 19, 1983) is a J-Pop star. ...
Avril Lavigne Whibley,[7] better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (IPA: ), (born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian rock/punk-pop singer, musician and actress. ...
UNICEF Logo Org type: Fund Acronyms: UNICEF Head: Ann Veneman Status: Active Established: 1946 Website: http://www. ...
Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ...
For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ...
Satellite image of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara. ...
At least 14 people died during the work on the facilities. Most of these people were not from Greece.[6]
Before the games, Greek hotel staff staged a series of one-day strikes over wage disputes. They had been asking for a significant raise for the period covering the event being staged. Paramedics and ambulance drivers had also been protesting, as they wanted the same Olympic bonuses promised to their security force counterparts. The Star of Life, a globally recognized symbol for Emergency medical services. ...
For other uses, see Ambulance (disambiguation). ...
Mascots
 The mascots were based on this clay model at the National Archaelogical Museum Since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France it has been the tradition to have a mascot for the games; for 2004, the official mascots were sister and brother, Athiná and Phévos (pronounced in Greek, Athina and Fivos), named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strategy and war, and Phoebos, the god of light and music, respectively. They were inspired by the ancient daidala which were dolls that had religious links as well as being toys. Download high resolution version (600x800, 46 KB)Model at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. ...
Download high resolution version (600x800, 46 KB)Model at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. ...
Download high resolution version (600x800, 79 KB)Athena Soft toy, Athens 2004 Olympic mascot. ...
Download high resolution version (600x800, 79 KB)Athena Soft toy, Athens 2004 Olympic mascot. ...
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1968 Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. ...
Grenoble (Franco-Provençal: Grenoblo) is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. ...
Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ...
Phoebus is the Latin form of Greek Phoibos Shining-one, a by-name used in classical mythology for the god Apollo. ...
For other uses, see Athena (disambiguation). ...
Phoebus is the Latin form of Greek Phoibos Shining-one, a by-name used in classical mythology for the god Apollo. ...
Daidala is a Greek festival of reconciliation that was held every four (seven?) years in honor of Hera at Plataea in Boeotia. ...
Online coverage For the first time, major broadcasters were allowed to serve video coverage of the Olympics over the Internet, provided that they restricted this service geographically, to protect broadcasting contracts in other areas. For instance, the BBC made their complete live coverage available to UK high-speed Internet customers for free; customers in the U.S. were only able to receive delayed excerpts.[7] For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...
The International Olympic Committee forbade Olympic athletes, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from setting up specialized weblogs and/or other websites for covering their personal perspective of the games. They were not allowed to post audio, video, or photos that they had taken. An exception was made if an athlete already has a personal website that was not set up specifically for the Games.[8] A weblog (now more commonly known as a blog) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally, but not always, in reverse chronological order). ...
NBC launched its own Olympic website, NBCOlympics.com. Focusing on the television coverage of the games, it did provide video clips, medal standings, live results. Its main purpose, however, was to provide a schedule of what sports were on the many stations of NBC Universal. The games were on TV 24 hours a day on one network or another. This article is about the television network. ...
Technology As with any enterprise, the Organizing Committee and everyone involved with it rely heavily on technology in order to deliver a successful event. ATHOC maintained two separate data networks, one for the preparation of the Games (known as the Administrative network) and one for the Games themselves (Games Network). The technical infrastructure involved more than 11,000 computers, over 600 servers, 2,000 printers, 23,000 fixed-line telephone devices, 9,000 mobile phones, 12,000 TETRA devices, 16,000 TV and video devices and 17 Video Walls interconnected by more than 6,000 kilometers of cabling (both optical fiber and twisted pair). In information technology, a server is an application or device that performs services for connected clients as part of a client-server architecture. ...
A computer printer, or more commonly a printer, produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. ...
A stylised representation of a mobile phone A mobile phone is a device which behaves as a normal telephone whilst being able to move over a wide area ( cordless phone which acts as a telephone only within a limited range). ...
Genera More than 150[1] Look up tetra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ...
For other uses, see Video (disambiguation). ...
Optical fibers An optical fiber (or fibre) is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light along its length. ...
25 Pair Color Code Chart 10BASE-T UTP Cable Twisted pair cabling is a common form of wiring in which two conductors are wound around each other for the purposes of cancelling out electromagnetic interference known as crosstalk. ...
 View of the ATHOC Technology Operations Center during the Games. This infrastructure was created and maintained to serve directly more than 150,000 ATHOC Staff, Volunteers, Olympic family members (IOC, NOCs, Federations), Partners & Sponsors and Media. It also kept the information flowing for all spectators, TV viewers, Website visitors and news readers around the world, prior and during the Games. Between June and August 2004, the technology staff worked in the Technology Operations Center (TOC) from where it could centrally monitor and manage all the devices and flow of information, as well as handle any problems that occurred during the Games. The TOC was organized in teams (e.g. Systems, Telecommunications, Information Security, Data Network, Staffing, etc.) under a TOC Director and corresponding team leaders (Shift Managers). The TOC operated on a 24x7 basis with personnel organized into 12-hour shifts. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2298 KB) View of the ATHOC Technology Operations Center during the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2298 KB) View of the ATHOC Technology Operations Center during the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games. ...
Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ...
National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide olympic movement. ...
Opening Ceremony -
The widely praised [1] Opening Ceremony by avant garde choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou held on August 13, 2004 began with a twenty eight (the number of the Olympiads up to then) second countdown paced by the sounds of an amplified heartbeat. As the countdown was completed, fireworks rumbled and illuminated the skies overhead. After a drum corp and bouzouki players joined in an opening march, the video screen showed images of flight, crossing southwest from Athens over the Greek countryside to ancient Olympia. Then, a single drummer in the ancient stadium joined in a drum duel with a single drummer in the main stadium in Athens, joining the original ancient Olympic games with the modern ones in symbolism. At the end of the drum duet, a single flaming arrow was launched from the video screen (symbolically from ancient Olympia) and into the reflecting pool, which resulted in fire erupting in the middle of the stadium creating a burning image of the Olympic rings rising from the pool. The Opening Ceremony was a pageant of traditional Greek culture and history hearkening back to its mythological beginnings. The program began as a young Greek boy sailed into the stadium on a 'paper-ship' waving the host nation's flag to haunting music by Hadjidakis and then a centaur appeared, followed by a gigantic head of a cycladic figurine which eventually broke into many pieces symbolising the Greek islands. Underneath the cycladic head was a Hellenistic representation of the human body, reflecting the concept and belief in perfection reflected in Greek art. A man was seen balancing on a hovering cube symbolising man's eternal 'split' between passion and reason followed by a couple of young lovers playfully chasing each other while the god Eros was hovering above them. There followed a very colourful float parade chronicling Greek history from the ancient Minoan civilization to modern times. The Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 13, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Maroussi, Greece, a suburb of Athens. ...
Dimitris Papaioannou (born Athens, 1964) is a Greek avant-garde choreographer, director, dancer and artist who conceived and directed the critically lauded 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and its closing counterpart, in addition to directing the ceremonies for the beginning and end of the 2004 Paralympics. ...
is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Manos Hadjidakis (Μάνος Χατζιδάκις) (October 23, 1925 - June 15, 1994) is a Greek music composer. ...
This article is about the mythological creatures. ...
The Cyclades, from the Greek Κυκλάδες, (circular, modern Greek Kykládes; see also List of traditional Greek place names) form an island group south-east of the mainland of Greece. ...
This article is about the Greek god Eros. ...
The Minoan civilization was a bronze age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. ...
Although the National Broadcasting Company in the United States presented the entire opening ceremony from start to finish, a topless Minoan priestess was shown only briefly, the breasts having been pixelated digitally in order to avoid potential fines by the Federal Communications Commission (and because the "Janet Jackson" incident was still in recent memory). Also, lower frontal nudity of men dressed as ancient Greek statues was shown in such a way that the area below the waist was cut off by the bottom of the screen. In most other countries presenting the broadcast, there was no censorship of the ceremony. This article is about the television network. ...
Minoan may refer to the following: The Minoan civilization The (undeciphered) Eteocretan language The (undeciphered) Minoan language The script known as Linear A An old name for the Mycenean language before it was deciphered and discovered to be a form of Greek. ...
An example of pixelation. ...
FCC redirects here. ...
Janet Jackson covers her exposed breast immediately after Justin Timberlake tears off part of her wardrobe to expose it Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jacksons bare breast was exposed by...
For other uses, see Censor. ...
Following the artistic performances, a parade of nations entered the stadium with over 10,500 athletes walking under the banners of 201 nations. The nations were arranged according to Greek alphabet making Finland, the Philippines, and Hong Kong among the last to enter the stadium. Based on audience reaction, the emotional high point of the parade was the entrance of the delegation from Afghanistan which had been absent from the Olympics and had female competitors for the first time. The Iraqi delegation also stirred emotions. Also recognized was the symbolic unified march of athletes from North Korea and South Korea under the Korean Unification Flag. The country of Kiribati made a debut appearance at these games and East Timor made a debut appearance under its own flag. After the Parade of Nations, during which the Dutch DJ Tiësto provided the music, the Icelandic singer Björk performed the song Oceania, written specially for the event by her and the poet Sjón. On this occasion, in observance of the tradition that the delegation of Greece opens the parade and the host nation closes it, the Greek flag bearer opened the parade and all the Greek delegation closed the parade. Download high resolution version (2024x1446, 1737 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Download high resolution version (2024x1446, 1737 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
The flame at the 2002 Winter Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important marketing promotion and symbol of the Olympic Games. ...
This page contains special characters. ...
The Unification Flag is used to represent all of Korea when North and South Korea participate together in sporting events. ...
Tijs Verwest on the cover of his DVD Another day at Office (2003) Tijs Verwest (born January 17, 1969) is one of the worlds leading dance DJs and trance musicians. ...
This article is about the musician. ...
Oceania was formely planned to be the first single release from Björks Medúlla album. ...
SJÓN Photo:Hordur Sveinsson Sjón is the pen name of Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born August 27, 1962). ...
The Opening Ceremony culminated in the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by 1996 Gold Medalist Windsurfer Nikolaos Kaklamanakis. The gigantic cauldron, which was styled after the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch, pivoted down to be lit by the 35 year-old, before slowly swinging up and lifting the flame high above the stadium. Kaklamanakis would later win his silver medal in the men's mistral behind Israeli windsurfer Gal Fridman. Following this, the stadium found itself at the centre of a rousing fireworks spectacular. Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (Greek: Îίκος Κακλαμανάκης) is the Greek Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ...
Gal Fridman (Hebrew: גל פרידמן) (born 16 September 1975 in Karkur (near Hadera), Israel) is an Israeli windsurfer and an Olympic gold medalist. ...
Closing ceremony
 Athens 2004 Olympics Closing ceremony The Games were concluded on August 29, 2004. The closing ceremony was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium, where the Games had been opened 16 days earlier. Around 70,000 people gathered in the stadium to watch the ceremony. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 227 KB) Summary Picture taken by me personally, while attending the closing ceremony. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 227 KB) Summary Picture taken by me personally, while attending the closing ceremony. ...
is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Olympic Stadium (Greek: Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο) (also known as the Athens Olympic Stadium, and Spiridon Spiros Louis Stadium, named after the man to win the first Olympic marathon race) in 1896, is a stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. ...
The initial part of the ceremony interspersed the performances of various Greek singers, and featured traditional Greek dance performances from various regions of Greece (Crete, Pontos, Thessaly, etc). The event was meant to highlight the pride of the Greeks in their culture and country for the world to see.
A significant part of the closing ceremony was the exchange of the Olympic flag of the Antwerp games between the mayor of Athens and the mayor of Beijing, host city of the next Olympic games. After the flag exchange a presentation from the Beijing delegation presented a glimpse into Chinese culture for the world to see. Beijing University students (who were at first incorrectly cited as the Twelve Girls Band) sang Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) and the medal ceremony for the last event of the Olympiad, the men's marathon, was conducted, with Stefano Baldini from Italy as the winner. Peking University 博学审问慎思明辨 Peking University or Beijing University (pinyin Běijīng Dàxué), colloquially Beida (北大, pinyin běidà), is one of the most prestigious universities in China. ...
The album cover of Eastern Energy. ...
Mo Li Hua (茉莉花), which means Jasmine Flowers, is a traditional Chinese folk song. ...
The mens marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in August 29, 2004 in the streets of Athens, Greece. ...
Stefano Baldini (born May 25, 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is an Italian athlete and is the current Olympic and European champion in the marathon. ...
A flag-bearer from each nation's delegation then entered along the stage, followed by the competitors en masse on the floor.
Short speeches were presented by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, President of the Organising Committee, and by President Dr. Jacques Rogge of the IOC, in which he described the Athens Olympics as "unforgettable, dream Games". Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business woman. ...
Jacques Rogge Count Jacques Rogge (born May 2, 1942 in Ghent, Belgium) is by profession an orthopedic surgeon. ...
Stamp The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. ...
It should be noted that Dr. Rogge had previously declared he would be breaking with tradition in his closing speech as President of the IOC and that he would never use the words of his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch, who used to always say 'these were the best ever games' (with the notable exception of Atlanta 1996). Dr. Rogge had described Salt Lake City 2002 as "superb games" and in turn would continue after Athens 2004 and describe Turin 2006 as "truly magnificent games". Juan Antonio Samaranch Don Juan Antonio Samaranch i Torelló, Marquis of Samaranch (es: Don Juan Antonio Samaranch i Torelló, marqués de Samaranch) (born July 17, 1920 in Barcelona) is a Spanish sports official and was president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001. ...
The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ...
The Olympic Flame at Turin The XX Olympic Winter Games are currently being held in Turin (Torino), Italy. ...
The national anthems of Greece and China were played in a handover ceremony as both nations' flags were raised. The Mayor of Athens, Dora Bakoyianni, passed the Olympic Flag to the Mayor of Beijing, Wang Qishan. After a short cultural performance by Chinese actors, dancers, and musicians directed by eminent Chinese director Zhang Yimou, Rogge declared the 2004 Olympic Games closed. The Hymn to Freedom (Ύμνος εις την ΕλευθεÏίαν, Imnos is tin Eleftherian) is a poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists of 158 stanzas. ...
The 1975 constitution, which Greece as a presidential parliamentary republic, includes extensive specific guarantees of civil liberties and vests the powers of the head of state in a president elected by parliament and advised by the Council of the Republic. ...
Dora Bakoyianni (ÎÏ„ÏŒÏα Μπακογιάννη, born 1954) is the Greek Foreign Affairs Minister and Mayor of Athens, Greece. ...
The politics of China may also include or exclude, depending on context or point of view: The politics of the Peoples Republic of China (mainland China 1949-present) The politics of Hong Kong The politics of Macau The politics of the Republic of China (Taiwan) The politics of imperial...
Wang Qishan (b. ...
Zhang Yimou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; ) (born November 14, 1951) is an internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker and one-time cinematographer. ...
A young Greek girl, Fotini Papaleonidopoulou, lit a symbolic lantern with the Olympic Flame and passed it on to other children before "extinguishing" the flame in the cauldron by blowing a puff of air. The ceremony ended with a variety of musical performances by Greek singers, including George Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, Anna Vissi, Sakis Rouvas, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Alkistis Protopsalti, Marinella and Dimitra Galani, as thousands of athletes carried out symbolic displays on the stadium floor. The flame at the 2002 Winter Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important marketing promotion and symbol of the Olympic Games. ...
George Dalaras (Greek: ΓιώÏγος ÎταλάÏας), also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Ntalaras is regarded as the best contemporary Greek singer. ...
Haris Alexiou (Greek: ) (born December 27, 1950 in Thebes, Greece as Harikleia Roupaka, Greek: ) is a Greek singer. ...
Anna Vissi (Greek: Άννα Βίσση; born December 20, 1957) is a Cypriot-Greek singer, famous mainly in Greece, and her home country Cyprus, with success in the United States as well. ...
Anastasios Sakis Rouvas (Greek: ) (born January 5, 1972 in the island of Corfu) is a popular Greek singer and athlete, as well as an actor, and a model, who has sold nearly 1. ...
Eleftheria Arvanitaki is a Greek singer of Icarian descent, born in Piraeus. ...
// [edit] Biography Marinella (born May 20, 1938 - ) is a popular Greek singer whose career has spanned several decades. ...
Sports The sports featured at the 2004 Summer Olympics are listed below. Officially there were 28 sports as swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo are classified by the IOC as disciplines within the sport of aquatics, and wheelchair racing was a demonstration sport. For the first time, the wrestling category featured women's wrestling and in the fencing competition women competed in the sabre. American Kristin Heaston, who led off the qualifying round of women's shotput became the first woman to compete at the ancient site of Olympia but Cuban Yumileidi Cumba became the first woman to win a gold medal there. There are a large number of sports that involve water. ...
Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ...
Kristen Heaston born November 23, 1975 in California, is a female American shot putter . ...
Yumileidi Cumbá (born February 11, 1975 in Guantánamo) is a Cuban athlete competing in the shot put. ...
The demonstration sport of wheelchair racing was a joint Olympic/Paralympic event, allowing a Paralympic event to occur within the Olympics, and for the future, opening up the wheelchair race to the able-bodied. The 2004 Summer Paralympics were also held in Athens, from September 20 to 28. Silver 2004 The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. ...
Proteas: The official 2004 Summer Paralympics mascot The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. ...
is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
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