MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES - 1996 Atlanta Olympiad
 
                       

The Games of the XXVI Olympiad were held in Atlanta, opened officialy by President Bill Clinton and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Ideal. In the Open Ceremony, Mohammad Ali, suffering from Parkinson disease, lit the cauldron. A terrorist bomb exploded in the Centennial Park, killing one person, injured 110 people and caused uncertainty about the security measures. Sprinter Carl Lewis became the fourth person to win the same individual event four times and the fourth athlete to earn nine gold medals, Naim Suleymanoglu was the first weightlifter to win three gold medals and Michael Johnson smashed the 200m world record to complete a 200m and 400m double.


During the Atlanta Olympiad, the organization problems and the vivid commercialization of the Games produced a lot of negative criticism.



 
 
 
     

Opening date:
19th July 1996

Closing date:
4th August 1996

Nations: 197
Sports: 26
Events: 271
Athletes: 10 318
Men: 6 806
Women:
3 512
Volunteers: 47 466
Media: 15 108

Candidate cities: Athens, Belgrade, Manchester, Melbourne and Toronto.