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. 72,000 spectators attended the event, with approximately 15,000 athletes from 202 countries participating in the ceremony as well. It marked the first-ever international broadcast of high definition television, undertaken by NBC and the Japanese television station NHK. The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... 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. ... The Athens Olympic Sports Complex is the central group of facilities for the 2004 Summer Olympics. ... Maroussi or Amaroussi, also Marousi and Amarousi, (Greek, Modern: Μαρούσι, Katharevousa: -on) older forms: Amarousio, Amarousion, Amaroussi, Amaroussio, Amaroussion and Marousion is a suburban city NE of Athens, Greece. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Athens is the largest and the capital city of Greece, located in the Attica periphery. ... High-definition television (HDTV) means broadcast of television signals with a higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL) allow. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo NHK (, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), or the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japans public broadcaster. ...

The Opening Ceremony began with a twenty-eight second countdown — one second per Olympics held since Athens last hosted the first modern games — paced by the sounds of an amplified heartbeat played by two drummers, one inside the stadium, and one projected on the stadium screen from the ancient stadium of Olympia, the locale of the Olympic games of antiquity. A blazing projectile, seemingly coming from the ancient stadium on the screen, lands on the flooded stadium floor igniting a burning image of the Olympic rings. For the television programme, see Heartbeat (TV series) For the book by Sharon Creech, see Heartbeat (book) For the single by King Crimson, see Heartbeat (single) For the album by King Crimson, see Heartbeat: The Abbreviated King Crimson For the record label, see Heartbeat Records See also heart rate This... Olympia among the principal Greek sanctuaries Olympia (Greek: Olympía 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. ... Ruins of the training grounds at Olympia The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games (Greek: ; Olympiakoi Agones) were a series of athletic competitions held between various city-states of Ancient Greece. ... Among the recognizable Olympic symbols: The Olympic flag: A white flag with the Olympic Rings on it in five colours. ...

Celebration of Greek Culture and History

The ceremony, conceived and directed by Dimitris Papaioannou, was a pageant of traditional Greek culture and history harkening back to its mythological beginnings, and viewed through the progression of Greek art. The dramatic music that accompanied the performances often combined drumming with the traditionally Greek sound of bouzouki. 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. ... Greece is often referred to as the cradle of Western culture and ancient Athens was considered its centre. ... This article covers the Greek civilization. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... Greek (tetrachordo) Bouzouki The bouzouki (gr. ...

The program began with a drummer ensemble marching in the Athens Olympic Stadium playing their Typical Greek drummers : one of them in the Ancient Olympia Stadium playing his drum was shown in the screen of the stadium and one in the Athens Olympic Stadium to show a connection between the ancient past and the present. From the screen where from the images of the Olympia drummer are being shown, a lighter rocket simulating a comet crashes into the giant pool of the stadium drawing with its fire the Olympic Rings. This first act of the Opening Ceremony was called "Calling to the Ancient Olympic Spirits" by the organizers: the comet symbolizes the fire of the ancients giving life to the modern Olympic movement, thus bridging the past and the present together. Next, a young Greek boy sailed into the stadium on a giant paper boat waving the host nation's flag, symbolizing Greece's maritime tradition and its close connection to the sea. Olympia (Greek: Ολυμπία Olympía or Ολύμπια Olýmpia, older transliterations, Olimpia, Olimbia), a city of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to... The Olympic Stadium (also known as the Athens Olympic Stadium) is a stadium that is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. ... Flag Ratio: 2:3 (Naval Flag 1822-1828, Sea Flag 1828-1969; 1975-1978 (Flag Ratio 7:12), National Flag 1969-1975; 1978 to date) The flag of Greece (Greek: , popularly referred to as the Γαλανόλευκη or the Κυανόλευκη, the blue-white) is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating...

The segments that followed were divided in two main parts. The first part of the main artistic segment of the opening ceremony was called "Allegory". "Allegory" introduced the main conceptual themes and ideals that are going to be omnipresent throughout the entire opening ceremony, such as the confluence of the past and present, love and passion as the progenitors of history, and humanity's attempt to understand itself. The second part, called the "Clypsedra", or "Hourglass", celebrates the themes introduced in the "Allegory" section through a portrayal of Greek history from the ancient to the modern times.

The "Allegory" segment began with a recitation of a verse from Nobel Prize-winning Greek poet George Seferis' poem "Mythistorema 3". As the verse is being recited on the speakers, the spotlights are focused upon a woman clad in a black gown looking out to the water. Holding a marble sculpture head, the woman seems to be entering into a dream. As she looks into the dark water, a centaur appears whose human and animal parts supposedly symbolize the duality of spirit and body. The centaur then walks about and then throws a spear of light into the center of the stadium, from which a giant statue that exemplified Cycladic art (and thus one of the first depictions of the human form in Greek art) emerged. This Cycladic head also represents one of the very first attempts of humanity to understand itself. With the use of lasers, geometrical shapes and other scientific images (such as a stylistic representation of the solar system) were displayed on the figure's face. The statue then broke into pieces that floated away, and from within it emerged a smaller kouros statue from the Archaic Period of Greek sculpture, which in turn broke apart to reveal the depiction of man in a sculpture of the classical period, symbolizing the dawn of individuality and extolling human scale, one of the principal themes of the 2004 Olympics. At the end of this sequence, a cube arises from the water, and a man starts slowly balancing himself on the rotating cube while representations of human kind's greatest achievements, contrasted to humanistic representations and images of men, women, and children of various ethnicities and ages, are projected onto the pieces of broken sculpture, which seem to be floating above the water. This last sequence is meant to symbolize the birth of logical thought, higher learning, and humanity finally making sense of the world in which it lives. After this sequence, the pieces of sculpture descend to the water, meant to symbolize the Greek isles. Giorgos Seferis (1900-1971) is the pen name of Greek poet Giorgos Seferiadis. ... In Greek mythology, the Centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race of creatures composed of part human and part horse. ... The Cyclades (Greek Κυκλάδες) are a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefecture of Greece. ... Experiment with a laser (US Military) In physics, a laser is a device that emits light through a specific mechanism for which the term laser is an acronym: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. ... This article is about the Solar System. ... The great kouros of Samos, the largest surviving kouros in Greece (Samos Archaeological Museum) A kouros (plural kouroi) is a statue of a male youth, dating from the Archaic Period of Greek sculpture (about 650 BC to about 500 BC). ... The archaic period in Greece is the period during which the ancient Greek city-states developed, and is normally taken to cover roughly the 9th century to the 6th century BCE. The Archaic period followed the dark ages, and saw significant advancements in political theory, and the rise of democracy... This article describes the ancient classical period: for the classical period in music (second half of the 18th century): see Classical music era. ... This is a list of some of the 3000 islands of Greece: Chrysi Crete Dia Euboea Gavdos Koufonisi Ydra The Cyclades Amorgos Anafi Andros Antiparos Anydro Delos Donoussa Folegandros Gyaros Ios Irakleia Kea Keros Kimolos Kithnos Makronisos Milos Mykonos (Mikonos) Naxos Paros Pholegandros Santorini (also called Thira) Serifos Sifnos Sikinos...

In the next sequence, Eros, the Greek god of love, was introduced flying over a pair of lovers frolicking in the pool of water located in the center of the stadium. The young couple along with Eros symbolize the fact that the humanity which create and shape history is born out of love and passion. This segment introduces the next part of the ceremony, the "Clypsedra", which highlights the themes of the opening ceremony through a celebration of Greek history. The lovers then lie down in the water, and both fall into a dream state. Throughout the rest of the scenes from history and mythology, Eros flew over the parade, occasionally touching or stepping on the floats moving beneath him, thus reinforcing the theme of love and passion as the source for all history. Eros. ...

The pageantry following the statues and the introduction of Eros continued to portray scenes that showed the sequence of Greek civilisation through its art. The scenes started with the Minoan civilisation. The first floar featured the iconic image of Minoan civilization: that of the fertility goddess clad in a bodice exposing her breasts and clutching serpents in both hands. The subsequent floats then featured scenes of bull-jumping, dolphins, and other elements that harkened back to the images in the frescoes of Phaestos. The scenes then proceeded to the more stark art of the Mycenean civilisation, followed by representations of the Classical period. A chariot carrying an actor portraying Alexander the Great introduced images from the Hellenistic period, which in turn were followed by representations of Byzantine art, the Greek War of Independence, and lastly of 20th century elements of Greek culture, such as the popular shadow-theatre figure Karagiozis, who is said to be a humorous and self-deprecating depiction (and parody) of Greek mentality. The Minoans were an ancient pre-Hellenic civilization on what is now Crete (in the Mediterranean), during the Bronze Age, prior to classical Greek culture. ... A XIV Century fresco featuring Saint Sebastian Note: Fresco is the NATO reporting name of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. ... Phaistos, also Phaestos and Phaestus, was an ancient city on the island of Crete. ... The Mycenean Period covers the latter part of the Bronze Age on the Greek mainland. ... Parthenon This article is on the term Classical Greece itself. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... The Hellenistic period (4th - 1st c. ... The most famous of the surviving Byzantine mosaics of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople - the image of Christ Pantocrator on the walls of the upper southern gallery. ... Combatants Greek revolutionaries United Kingdom France Russian Empire  Ottoman Empire Egyptian Khedivate Commanders Theodoros Kolokotronis Alexander Ypsilanti Georgios Karaiskakis Omer Vryonis Mahmud Dramali Pasha ReÅŸid Mehmed Pasha Ibrahim Pasha. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Karagiozis (Greek: Καραγκιόζης, from Turkish: Karagöz) is a shadow puppet and fictional character of Greek traditional folklore inspired from an Ottoman Turkish counterpart who was known as Karagöz. ...

At the end of the parade, "Eros" lowered enough to help a pregnant woman remove her outer garment. This last part represents the ceremony coming into full circle: the "Clypsedra" segment began with the image of the Minoan fertility goddess and is now ending with a pregnant woman representing the future of all humanity and history. With belly glowing, the woman moved into the lake of water as the stadium's lights dimmed and lights underneath the pool of water were turned on, thus creating an image of stars in a galaxy. According to Greek myth, the stars of the galaxy was born out of the milk of Hera's fertile breasts. In fact, the name for the Milky Way Galaxy, the home to planet Earth, was born out of this myth. Slowly the stars rose around the woman, and moved to form a rapidly rotating DNA double helix, which is the basis for all life on the planet. Humanity's attempt to understand itself, a theme that has been omnipresent throughout the entire ceremony beginning with the Cycladic head, is further reinforced by the representation of the DNA double helix, which symbolizes humanity's latest and most recent attempt to understand itself: the late 20th and early 21st centuries witnessed great advances in the field of genetics with the mapping of the human genome. For other uses, see Galaxy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ... The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Galaxia Kuklos; or simply the Galaxy) is a barred spiral galaxy in the Local Group, and has special significance to humanity as the location of the solar system, which is located near the Orion... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... The Double-Helix are an alien race in the Wing Commander science fiction series. ... This article is about the general scientific term. ... A graphical representation of the normal human karyotype. ...

Finally, all the characters of the parade began to walk inside the pool, around its center, mixing the past and the present in a single marching beat of the drums. The confluence of the past and the present is another main theme of the opening ceremony. The music began a crescendo with choruses, when all of a sudden an olive tree was lifted from the center of the pool - symbolizing goddess Athena's preferred gift by the Greeks - land and food - over Poseidon's gift, the horse - a tool of warfare. At the music's climax, all the characters stopped and raised their arms as if worshipping the Tree, which was high above, surrounded also by the fragments of the deconstructed statues who resembled a mount.

Parade of Nations

In order to prepare for the entry of the athletes to the stadium, the giant pool of water that had been constructed on the floor of the stadium had to first be drained. 2,162,000 liters of water were drained from the stadium in a time period of 3 minutes, providing a dry, hard surface for the athletes to march and gather on.[1]

Typically, Greece leads the Parade of Nations in any Olympics, with the host nation entering the stadium last. However, since Greece was the host nation, they went last, sending only their flag with the weightlifter Pyrros Dimas like the flag bearer into the stadium at the beginning of the parade, and the athletes themselves at the end of it.

The debut position was given to Saint Lucia (Αγία Λουκία in Greek), who led the Parade of Nations into the stadium. As the nations entered in Greek alphabetical order, Zimbabwe — which has usually been the penultimate nation, followed only by the host country — appeared in the middle of the parade.[2] The Greek alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Greek language since about the 9th century BCE. It was the first alphabet in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel and consonant alike. ...

Afghanistan's entrance was an emotional highpoint of the parade. The Iraqi delegation also stirred emotions because of the strong feelings of sympathy that exist among Greeks for this nation. Both teams were applauded and cheered loudly. Also recognized was the symbolic unified march of athletes from North Korea and South Korea, reminiscent of their march in the Parade of Nations at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The nation of Kiribati made its debut Olympic appearance at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and East Timor marched under its own flag for the first time. Serbia and Montenegro appeared at the Olympics under the nation's new name for the first (and, as of 2006, the only) time since the country was officially renamed in 2003; it had previously been known as Yugoslavia. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ...

Due to the unpopularity of the American-led invasion of Iraq among Greeks, it had been expected by the media that audience members would protest the war during the entrance of the American delegation into the stadium by booing; however, the Americans did receive a polite welcome, much to the pleasant surprise of news anchors covering the event. The subject of this article is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

Apart from Greece, the Greek crowd reserved some of their loudest cheers for their fellow Greeks from Cyprus, Australia, home to many Greeks and site of the previous Summer Olympics and Mediterranean countries such as France and Italy. The team from Palestine was also very warmly welcomed. Cheers greeted Portugal, the nation that hosted the Euro 2004 football tournament, which Greece won. Notable silences marked the entry of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with which Greece has a decades-long dispute over its name; Israel; and Turkey, reflecting the political sympathies of the Greek public. 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 held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... This article is about the Palestinian territories as a geopolitical phenomenon. ... Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called EURO 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ... // The Republic of Macedonia became a member state of the United Nations on April 8, 1993, eighteen months after its independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...

High-ranking politicians and royalty from all around the world applauded as the teams from their respective countries paraded by. Along with their spouses, U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (who lit the Cauldron for the 1994 Winter Olympics), and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (among others) each stood and applauded the teams from their countries. Past world leaders, including former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, also attended and applauded their national teams during the parade. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (born Haakon Magnus on July 20, 1973 in Oslo). ... The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. ... Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (born Frederik André Henrik Christian on 26 May 1968 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is the eldest son of Queen Margrethe II and her husband, Prince Consort Henrik. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ...

Speeches to athletes & spectators

After the Parade of Nations had concluded and the athletes were gathered in the center of the stadium, two short speeches were delivered in front of a model of an olive tree, a traditional Greek and Olympic symbol. Before the speeches were given, there was a segment honoring all previous Olympiads. A runner, carrying a flag with an image of an olive branch symbolizing not only peace, but Athens itself, lapped around the stadium, symbolically crossing tape dedicated to the previous 27 Olympiads. The runner even symbolically stumbled and stopped for the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games which were canceled due to world wars. The runner ended his run at the very center of the stadium, where Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and Rogge were under the olive tree, symbolizing the Olympic's current journey, from Athens to Athens. A similar event happened during the opening ceremonies last Olympics, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where banners of the previous 18 Winter Olympics entered Rice-Eccles Stadium before the parade of nations. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics for short but more correctly The Olympic Winter Games, are the cold-weather counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games. ... Rice-Eccles Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Utah Utes, located on the universitys campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

The first speech came from Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, the chief organizer of the Athens 2004 Olympics and the first female chief organizer of an Olympic games. She told the athletes: "Welcome home!" and "Greece is standing before you. We are ready." She also stated the people of Greece "have waited long for this moment", alluding to the long time period between the first modern Olympic Games in Greece and the 2004 Games, as well as the fact that Athens was passed over in 1990 in favor of Atlanta, Georgia for host of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Gianna Daskalaki on December 12, 1955 in Heraklion, Crete) is a Greek politician and business woman. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... “Atlanta” redirects here. ... 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. ...

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was followed by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who delivered a speech encouraging participating athletes to resist the urge to use banned performance-enhancing substances and "show us that sport unites by overriding national, political, religious, and language barriers". Rogge then introduced Greek president Costis Stephanopoulos, who declared the games officially open. 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. ... Jacques Rogge (born May 2, 1942) is a Belgian orthopaedic surgeon and has been the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2001. ... Kostantinos Stefanopoulos Konstantinos Stephanopoulos was born in Patras on 15 August 1926. ...

Music during the Opening Ceremony

During the "Allegory" segment highlighting the conceptual and themes and ideals of the opening ceremony, the chosen music was Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D Minor: 6. Langsam. The music played during the "Clypsedra" segment highlighting Greek history and mythology was conducted by Stavros Xarhakos. The songs played were instrumental in nature and many used traditional Greek instruments. Famous Greek artists such as Stavros Xarhakos (whose song "Zeimbekiko" was played), Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis and Konstantinos Bita, were included in the Olympic soundtrack. The whole music project was arranged by composer George Koumentakis, who had worked in the past several times with Papaioannou. “Mahler” redirects here. ... The Symphony No. ... Greek Music composer, famous for this work on the movie Rembetiko the movie and many more sonatas and compositions Categories: People stubs ... Greek Music composer, famous for this work on the movie Rembetiko the movie and many more sonatas and compositions Categories: People stubs ... Manos Hadjidakis (Μάνος Χατζιδάκις) (October 23, 1925–June 15, 1994) was a Greek music composer. ... Mikis Theodorakis Mikis Theodorakis (Greek: Μίκης Θεοδωράκης) (b. ...

During the Parade of Nations, Dutchman DJ Tiësto provided the music, becoming the first DJ ever to spin live at the Olympics. During the course of his performance the Dutch athletes started dancing in front of the DJ booth and had to be moved on by officials. For other uses, see Netherlands (disambiguation). ... 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. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ...

Icelandic singer Björk performed the song "Oceania" from her album, Medúlla, immediately after the Parade of Nations ended. While the song was being played, a large piece of fabric (which belonged to Björk's dress) was pulled over the heads of the athletes, who had gathered on the ground in the center of the stadium following their march around the stadium. At the conclusion of Björk's performance, a map of the world was projected on the fabric. This article is about the musician. ... Oceania was formely planned to be the first single release from Björks Medúlla album. ... Medúlla is a music album by Icelandic singer/songwriter/musician Björk, which was released on August 31st of 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

After Björk's performance and the speeches delivered by organizers, Xarhakos returned to conduct a choir composed of Greek children.

Torch relay & lighting

The olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony. The concept was the work of choreographer and director Dimitris Papaioannou, a modern dance artist.

The Opening Ceremony culminated in the end of the torch relay, a tradition begun when Berlin hosted the games in 1936. Before the torch came into the stadium, a three rings arose from the center of the stadium that simulated a globe. This segment preceding the torch's arrival honored the first global torch relay that was begun by Athens 2004. Actors, suspended on cables, started rising out of the crowd and ran towards the globe, carrying glowing sticks meant to simulate the Olympic torch. On the globe, the names of the cities which the torch visited were projected, and this segment ended with all the torchbearers floating mid-air coming together at the globe. After this segment ended, the lights were dimmed, and the sound of the heartbeat accompanied by thunderous cheers and applause met the torch's final arrival to the Olympic Stadium. 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 Olympic Flame at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun is a symbol of the Olympic Games. ... 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. ... Modern dance is often performed in bare feet. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. ...

Torch bearer Nikos Galis, considered to be the greatest Greek basketball player of all time, entered the stadium first. The torch was passed on, in sequential order, to Greek football legend Mimis Domazos, 1992 Hurdles champion Voula Patoulidou, 1996 Olympic weightlifting champion Kakhi Kakhiashvili, and 1996 Olympic gymnastics champion Ioannis Melissanidis. Nick Galis (born July 23, 1957 in New Jersey), known in Greece as Nikos Galis (Greek: Νίκος Γκάλης), is a retired Greek American basketball player, regarded as one of Europes all-time greats in the sport. ... This article is about the sport. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... The Generals photo against Olympiakos in 1971 match at Karaiskaki Mimis Domazos (born 22 January 1942) is a Greek footballer (central attacking midfielder) born in Abelokipi, Athens. ... Athletics Medal Winners at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Categories: | ... Paraskevi Voula Patoulidou was born on 29 March 1965, in Tripotamo, near Florina. ... The weightlifting competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta consisted of ten weight classes, all for men only. ... Kakhi Kakhiashvili is one of the four weightlifters to have won three consecutive gold medals in Olympics. ... At the 1996 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: Artistic gymnastics and Rhythmic gymnastics. ...

The torch was finally passed to the 1996 Olympic sailing champion Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, who lit a giant cigar-shaped tapered column resembling a torch — not, as usual, a cauldron — to burn during the duration of the 2004 Summer Olympics. As Kaklamanakis ascended the steps to light the cauldron, the cauldron seemed to bow down to him, symbolizing that despite advance of technology, technology is still a creation and tool of humanity and that it was meant to serve humanity's needs. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, ten events in sailing were contested. ... Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (Greek: Νίκος Κακλαμανάκης) is the Greek Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ...

International Reaction to the Ceremony

The ceremomy was a source of major acclaim in the international press [3] and featured never before seen technologies used in a stadium, including a giant pool with slip-proof irridescent fiberglass flooring that drained its water in 2 minutes [4], beautiful and innovative lighting, and an ingenious staging system utilizing a complex network of automated cables that lifted, maneuvered, and choreographed the floating pieces of sculpture to follow the music and narrative of the opening ceremony. The costumes, which also drew great international praise, were designed by well-known London-based Greek fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki [5]. Eleftheria Deco was awarded for her lighting design of the opening ceremony with an Emmy award. NBC, the international tv broadcaster of the olympics, has also been awarded with 6 Emmy awards for its coverage of the games and technical production. Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre) is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Sophia Kokosalaki (born 1972) is a well-known Greek fashion designer of haute couture, with her own label based in London. ... An Emmy Award. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... An Emmy Award. ...

External links

• Stagelink.com Photo Gallery - Backstage photos of construction, rehearsals and Opening Ceremony.