1996 was the year of the 100th anniversary of the 1st Olympic Games, so many viewed Athens as the main contender for voting on the choice of the Olympic capital. However, the XXVI Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Since this Olympics was a jubilee, they began to call it the 100th Olympiad.
The grand opening of the Summer Olympics took place on July 19, 1996 at the Olympic Stadium, in front of the entrance to which a special tower with a bowl for the Olympic flame was erected. According to media reports, the ceremony, which was broadcast by 170 TV companies, was watched by about 3.5 billion people. The most significant themes of the show rooms of the ceremony were the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games, as well as the history of the American South and Atlanta. In the final of the opening ceremony of the Games, the song "Power of Dreams" was performed by the famous singer Celine Dion, written by her especially for the Olympics. There was also colorful fireworks.
Athletes from 197 countries took part in the Olympic Games, between which 271 awards were played in 25 sports. For the first time, individual teams in the Summer Olympics were Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and others. Women's football, beach volleyball, softball, lightweight rowing and mountain biking made their debut at the Games in Atlanta.
The Russian national team in 1996 played for the first time as an independent country at the Summer Games. Having taken 2nd place in the unofficial team event, the Russian team lost to the US team. Russian athletes took 26 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze medals. Most of the medals for the national team were brought by fencers, swimmers, athletes and wrestlers.
The organization of the 1996 Summer Olympics has received significant criticism from athletes, officials and journalists. Particularly criticized were the failures of information systems, the incompetence of volunteers, problems with the organization of traffic, as well as the excessive commercialization of the Olympic Games. An important incident was the explosion in the Olympic Park, which occurred on July 27 and temporarily overshadowed the Olympic events. As a result of the explosive action of the bomb, planted by the terrorist, 1 person died, 1 more died of a heart attack, more than 100 people were harmlessly injured. Still, despite these tragic events, the Olympic Games in Atlanta were remembered for their sporting achievements.
On August 4, 1996, in the presence of more than 85 thousand people, the Closing Ceremony of the Games took place at the Atlanta Olympic Stadium. Many famous American musicians took part in the musical part of the ceremony. The awards ceremony was held for the winners in the men's marathon, which took place on the last day of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Traditionally, the athletes took part in the parade all together, thereby symbolizing Olympic unity.
At the closing ceremony of the Games, IOC President Samaranch did not say his traditional phrase "These Games were the best in history." During his speech, he paid special attention to the threat of terrorism and called for the commemoration of the victims of the terrorist attack in Atlanta, as well as the Israeli athletes who died in Munich in 1972. The Olympic flag was lowered from the flagpole, and the Olympic banner was solemnly presented to the mayor of the capital of the next Games - Sydney. The closing ceremony ended with a grand fireworks display.
