Opening date:July 19, 1996
Closing date: August 4, 1996

On July 17, 1996, at the Olympic stadium in the American city of Atlanta, the fire of the penultimate summer Games of the century, held a century after the first modern Olympics.
It was the same jubilee fire that was almost extinguished by the wind at his birth in Greek Olympia in the spring of that year.

The main "lighter" of the flame in the Atlanta Olympic arena was. In the turbulent history of American sports in the second half of the century, one can hardly find more scandalous figure than this black boxer. Shortly after his victory in the Olympic ring in 1960, Cassius Clay turned pro. Four years later, he adopted the Islamic faith and his current name.

When the US war against Vietnam began, the successful boxing idol defiantly refused to serve in the army, much less fight on the Asian front. For such a defiantly anti-patriotic demarche, he was tried, sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of ten thousand dollars, and the title of world champion among the pros was taken away.
In the USSR, he was known as a fighter for peace and human rights, while in the USA his name was tabooed. From the time he returned from prison to the professional ring until the end of his boxing career, Ali was trailed by sports scandals. But he became a model American citizen.

As a reward for this, he, who gained boxing fame not so much on the Olympic as on the professional path, where he was struck by Parkinson's disease, the dark-skinned Muslim was entrusted with the honor of lighting the fire of the "Games of the Century" in Atlanta.

Millions of people around the world saw with alarm and pain how a torch almost fell out of the shaking hands of the 54-year-old ex-champion, from the touch of which a fiery stream flowed to the bell of the bowl above the stadium. Later, official America repeatedly presented other gifts to the repentant and pacified black rebel.
One of the largest universities in the US - Columbia - awarded Ali "on the basis of total merit" the degree of Doctor of Laws, which, however, did not burden him with official protection. Finally, he was named in America the best boxer of all time.

Unfortunately, this Olympics was not without tragic incidents: as a result of a bomb planted by a terrorist, one person died and more than 110 people were injured. But still, the Games in Atlanta are remembered for their sporting achievements.

American twice became Olympic champion(200 and 400 meters), and his victory at a distance of 200 meters set a new world record (19.32 seconds), and in terms of the degree of amazement and delight that it caused, it approached the phenomenal jump of Bob Beamon at the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.

The French runner won the 200 meters and set a new Olympic record in the 400 meters.

She became the most successful French athlete in the history of sports, and the first female athlete to become Olympic champion twice in a row at a distance of 400 meters.

For the first time since 1912, the Russian team competed at the Olympics (408 athletes from 53 territories). Russian Federation), who managed to put up a worthy resistance to the US team and won the second place in the unofficial team count in a difficult struggle (26 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze medals for the Russian team and 44, 32 and 25 for the US team, respectively).

Two-time Olympic champion in Barcelona, ​​swimmer Alexander Popov was again at the zenith of fame, brilliantly overtaking the American in the 100-meter race and in the 50-meter distance Gary Holla. In addition, he earned two silver awards.

Russian runner Svetlana Masterkova also excelled, who won at distances of 800 and 1500 m.
Shortly before the Olympics, Svetlana gave birth to a daughter and gained a lot of weight. But she did not want to quit the sport, and therefore, immediately after giving birth, she began intensive training and went on a diet.
And on treadmill in Atlanta she came out in optimal weight- 56 kg. As a result, she not only took gold medal but also set a world record.

In the Russian team, Olympic champions also became Oleg Saitov(boxing), Vadim Bogiev, Khadzhimurad Magomedov, Buvaisa Saitiev(freestyle wrestling), Zulfiya Zabirova(cycling), Alexey Nemov And Svetlana Khorkina (gymnastics), Elena Nikolaeva ( Athletics), Denis Pankratov(swimming), Dmitry Sautin(diving), Alexey Petrov And Andrey Chemerkin(Weightlifting), Stanislav Pozdnyakov And Alexander Beketov(fencing), Olga Klochneva, Artem Khadzhibekov And Boris Kokarev(bullet shooting).

He was the last one in our team Greco-Roman wrestling. The team failed miserably and inexplicably. If Karelin had not won gold, the failure would have been final and irrevocable - all the principles of the training methodology and our very school of wrestling would have to be questioned. And he is tormented by injuries, the consequences of the operation, and the audience is fiercely rooting for his opponent, the American Gaffaria. But he had to win.
"Sport is a cruel thing. To win, you need to rush to victory without thinking about the interests of your opponents. That's right. But we fight within the rules, and everyone has a chance to be a winner or defeated", - this is the view of Alexander Karelin. However, this doesn't make it any easier for the opponents.
“Reputation is a huge lifting force. And when I didn’t have enough arm strength in Atlanta, this was compensated by the reputation that you always remember,” Karelin admitted. “She, of course, puts pressure on rivals, it’s difficult for them. The main thing is that she doesn’t let you give up, give in. It’s impossible - the name doesn’t allow it.
 Alexander Karelin became the first wrestler to win the gold medal three times Olympic medal.

He became the first weightlifter to win a third gold medal.
He was born in 1967 to a Turkish family living in Bulgaria. Although he was only 1.47m tall, he quickly attracted attention for his ability to lift weights. He set his first world record at the age of 15. In 1984, Bulgaria boycotted the Los Angeles Games, but a few weeks after the Games, Suleymanoglu lifted 30 kg more weight than the Olympic champion lifted in this weight class.

In 1986, Suleymanoglu emigrated to Turkey and represented this country at the 1998 Games. Competing in super light weight category, he broke the world record in the snatch and clean and jerk. In fact, his total weight exceeded that lifted by the winner in the lightweight category.
Suleymanoglu remained undefeated for 8.5 years, but in 1992 at the European Championships he was defeated by Nikolai Peshalov from Bulgaria. Three months later, at the Barcelona Olympics, he changed summary table and outstripped Peshalov by 15 kg.

About Naim Suleymanoglu on the eve of Atlanta, they said that he was going to finish, he was leaving. Naim himself did not hide his fatigue: “Lifting iron for twenty years for six hours every day is, believe me, not easy. And then I realized that you can win in Atlanta only if you give it your all. top scores". And he managed to do it.

Here in Atlanta, he fought an amazing sports duel with Valerios Leonidis of Greece and earned his third Olympic gold medal, besides breaking his own world record.

A Turkish journalist wrote about the fantastic popularity of Naim in Turkey: When he has lunch in a restaurant, no one asks him to pay the bill, if he exceeds the speed limit on the road, he does not have to pay a fine, the police only wish him a happy journey.

In general, miraculously got to the Olympic Games in Atlanta, was on qualifying competitions in jumps only the third. And also injuries, fatigue, some kind of tragic bad luck, to which everyone has already become accustomed.

Moreover, he began to annoy many with his desire to speak at one more Games. "Yes, he hopes to win!" - the American press scoffed at the recent idol of all America. And in solitude he persuaded himself not to think about the campaign unleashed against him. He should have won.
In Atlanta, it took him three attempts to reach the final. And in the final, he came out on top with his third jump and no one else could surpass his result. He again pushed into the shadows an outstanding jumper, the owner of a fantastic world record Mike Powell, who had one main dream - to win in Atlanta.
So Carl Lewis became one of four Olympic athletes who won nine gold medals, and one of three who won gold four times in individual competitions in one sport.

Three outstanding victories of three great Olympians once again reminded us that a person is capable of much.

The Olympic Games were held by Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Manchester (England), Melbourne (Australia) and Toronto (Canada). But these cities were consistently eliminated in the first four rounds of voting at the 96th session of the International Olympic Committee. In the final round, 51 out of 86 deputies voted for Atlanta.

Atlanta is a city of half a million people in the Southeast of the United States, which is the administrative center of the state of Georgia. It was founded in 1837 as one of the stations under construction railway to the Midwest. Then it had the name Terminus, and the status of the city and the new name of the settlement received a decade later. In the history of the country, Atlanta is known as a place that, during the civil war between north and south, was burned in 1864 by the army of northerners, and at the beginning of the 20th century there were mass unrest of the black population.

By the time of the event, Atlanta had become an ultra-modern city, the capital of the "new South" and the center of business activity, the architecture of which is dominated by "modern" and "postmodern" styles. The tallest building, "Bank American Plaza", has a height of 312 meters - the tallest skyscrapers in the country are only in Chicago and New York. By the opening of the 1996 Olympics, an 85,000-seat multi-purpose stadium was built in the city, which was named the Centennial Olympic Stadium. It was he who became the main arena of competitions, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the XXVI Summer Olympic Games.

The games were opened by the then US President Bill Clinton, and the Olympic flame at the stadium was lit by the legendary Mohammed Ali. The Americans also got the largest number of awards - 101. Despite the modernity of the city, the organization of the information systems and transport support of the Olympiad, as well as the subordination of the game schedule to the commercial interests of sponsors and organizers, was seriously criticized.

The XXVI Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from July 19 to August 4, 1996. Athletes representing 197 countries competed in 26 sports. At the same time, 271 sets of medals were played.

Choice of Atlanta as Olympic city surprised many people. The fact is that the state of Georgia during the years of the Civil War in the United States was considered a stronghold of the Confederates - supporters of slavery, and in it for a long time racist prejudices were very strong. However, the members of the Atlanta bid committee did a great job convincing the IOC of the high degree of readiness of the city to host competitions of this level, and in the end they got their way.

The opening ceremony of the games was very colorful. Her main theme was the American South and Atlanta itself. 10,700 people participated in the parade of athletes. After US President Bill Clinton declared the games open, the olympic fire. This high honor was bestowed legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. At the end of the ceremony, the song "The Power of Dreams" was performed, accompanied by colorful fireworks.

Alas, the great celebration of sports, which the Olympics should be, turned out to be clouded due to a number of circumstances. Firstly, during the Olympics in Atlanta, there was a terrorist attack - an explosion, because of which a person died, and more than a hundred people were injured (one of them died of a heart attack). Secondly, the very organization of the Olympic Games, despite all the assurances of the Atlanta bid committee, turned out to be at a very low level.

Many officials, representatives of the press, athletes expressed dissatisfaction with the poor organization traffic, unsatisfactory presentation of information, as well as low qualification of volunteer assistants. The mascot of the Olympics, the computer-generated character Izzy, also led people into confusion. It is quite natural that IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, speaking at the closing ceremony of the games, did not utter the traditional phrase "These games were the best in history."

The Russian team in Atlanta performed very well, it took second place in the team standings, losing only to the US team. Our athletes won 63 medals, including 26 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze. The most successful of the Russians was gymnast A. Nemov, who received 6 medals - 2 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze.

1996 was the year of the 100th anniversary of the 1st Olympic Games, so many considered Athens as the main contender for the vote on the choice of the host city of the Olympics. However, the XXVI Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Since this Olympiad was an anniversary one, they began to call it the 100th Anniversary Olympiad.

The grand opening of the Summer Olympics took place on July 19, 1996 at Olympic Stadium, in front of which a special tower with a bowl for the Olympic flame was built. According to media reports, the live broadcast of the ceremony, which was conducted by 170 television companies, was watched by about 3.5 billion people. The 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games, as well as the history of the American South and Atlanta, were the most significant topics of the demonstration numbers of the ceremony. At the end of the opening ceremony of the Games, the song "The Power of Dreams" was performed by famous singer Celine Dion, written by her specifically for the Olympics. There were also colorful fireworks.

IN Olympic Games Athletes from 197 countries took part in the event, among which 271 awards were played in 25 sports. For the first time, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, etc. performed as separate teams in the Summer Olympics. Women made their debut at the Games in Atlanta, Beach volleyball, softball, racing in rowing crews light weight and mountain bike.

The Russian national team in 1996 for the first time acted as an independent country on 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. Fencers, swimmers, athletes and wrestlers brought most of the medals to the national team.

The organization of the 1996 Summer Olympics was subject to considerable criticism from athletes, officials and journalists. Failures in the operation of information systems, the incompetence of volunteers, problems with the organization of traffic, as well as the excessive commercialization of the Olympic Games, were especially criticized. An important incident was the explosion in Olympic park, which occurred on July 27 and temporarily overshadowed the Olympic events. As a result of the explosive action of a bomb planted by a terrorist, 1 person died, another 1 died of a heart attack, and more than 100 people received non-dangerous injuries. But still, despite these tragic events, the Olympic Games in Atlanta will be remembered thanks to sporting achievements.

On August 4, 1996, in the presence of more than 85 thousand people, the Closing Ceremony of the Games was held at the Atlanta Olympic Stadium. Many famous American musicians took part in the musical part of the ceremony. The winners were awarded in the men's marathon, which took place on the last day Summer Olympics 1996. By tradition, the athletes took part in the parade all together, thus symbolizing the 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 to honor the memory 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 next Games- Sydney. The closing ceremony ended with a grandiose fireworks display.

Tip 4: What the 1996 Atlanta Olympics are notorious for

The 100th Anniversary Olympic Games were held in 1996 in the American city of Atlanta. For the first time, a non-Russian national team and union republics, and individual national teams states that were formerly part of the USSR.

most successful for Russian teams competitions in sports and rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, jumping into the water. In many sports in which Soviet athletes have traditionally been winners, the Russians did not even manage to enter the top six. Such “failed” sports for men were: badminton, road cycling, rowing slalom, archery and tennis. Women performed unsuccessfully in competitions in badminton, rowing, kayaking and canoeing, moutainback, trap shooting, swimming, tennis and archery.

Of the total Russian athletes only 52% of the team members managed to win medals, the training of the remaining 48% was assessed as unsuccessful based on the results of these games. Experts noted a clear regression in the women's Olympic sports sports program. This was especially noticeable in judo competitions, cycling, swimming, archery, table tennis and field hockey.

The situation in sports related to games (basketball, volleyball, handball) and cyclic (academic rowing, track and field running, swimming) was called unfavorable based on the results of the games. The Greco-Roman wrestling team of the country, on which special hopes were placed, also performed very mediocrely. It also turned out to be ineffective to attract athletes to the Olympic team who had already competed for foreign clubs- they brought very few additional points to the common piggy bank.

Olympic games were held July 19-August 4, 1996 in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Atlanta became the legal host of the Olympic Games on September 18, 1990 at the IOC Session in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Since the Games were to be held in year of the century of modern Olympic movement , many experts and sports fans were convinced that the competition should be held in the historical homeland of the Olympic Games - Greece. But the IOC members chose Atlanta, believing that hosting the Games in the United States would bring more revenue than in Greece.

opening ceremony, which took place on July 19, 1996, was watched by a record 3.5 billion people. The theatrical part of the opening of the Games was devoted to the history of the southern part of the United States and the 100th anniversary of the Olympic movement. The Olympic flame was lit by the legendary American boxer (Cassius Clay).

Participated in the Olympic Games 10,318 athletes from 197 countries. The games provided almost 50 thousand volunteers. Competitions were held in 37 sports (official website of the IOC), 271 award sets. Softball, beach volleyball, mountain biking, light weight crew races in rowing, women's football.

An incomprehensible goggle-eyed became the mascot of the Games little man Izzy(short for What is it?). Unlike other mascots, Izzy did not become popular with fans and tourists. This talisman is considered the most failed in the history of the Olympic movement.

The heroine of the Games in Atlanta was American Amy Van Dyken, who won four gold medals in swimming (50m high speed, 100m butterfly, 4x100m relay, 4x100m combined relay). Russian swimmer Alexander Popov won 4 medals, 2 of which (at distances of 50 and 100 m) are gold. The greatest number of medals at the Olympic Games was won by the famous Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov. He won 6 awards - 2 gold (vault, team championship), 1 silver (absolute championship), 3 bronze (horse exercises, crossbar, floor exercises).

Muhammad Ali

For the first time professional cyclists took part in the Olympic Games. The best in the individual road race was the legendary Spanish cyclist, multiple winner of the Tour de France.

A serious fight for medals unfolded in the athletics competitions. French sprinter Marie Jo Perec won two gold medals in the 200m and 400m. Marie became the first athlete in the history of the Olympics, who managed to win twice in a row (1992 and 1996) in the 400 m. In men, Michael Johnson became the king of the sprint, who won 2 gold medals in the 200 and 400 m.

The legendary American athlete, at the age of 35, managed to win the ninth Olympic gold medal, this time in the long jump. For the first time in the history of weightlifting, a famous Turkish athlete won the third consecutive gold medal. Also, the famous Greco-Roman wrestler became a three-time Olympic champion.

The football Olympic tournament ended sensationally, where the victory was won by the Nigerian team, who defeated in the final match strong team Argentina. brilliant victory Wladimir Klitschko, the famous Ukrainian professional boxer, won at the Olympic Games.

Of the 197 participating countries, medals were won by representatives of 79 countries, athletes from 53 countries became owners of gold medals. In the unofficial team standings, the victory was celebrated by the US team, whose athletes won 101 medals - (44-32-25). The second place was taken by the Olympic team of the Russian Federation - 63 medals (26-21-16), the third place was taken by German athletes - 65 awards (20-18-27).

Despite the excellent sports achivments, numerous world records, the Olympic Games in Atlanta were remembered as a failed organization. Volunteers were not prepared to provide the Games and work with tourists, information systems were constantly breaking down. The organizers were accused of excessive commercialization of the Games. July 27 became a sad page in the Games. On this day, a bomb planted by terrorists exploded in the Olympic Park. As a result, 2 people died, more than a hundred were injured.

At the official closing ceremony of the Games, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch for the first time during his presidency did not say the traditional phrase "These Games were the best in history", thus expressing dissatisfaction with the organization of the Games.

197 countries. 10320 athletes (3523 women). 26 sports. Leaders in the unofficial team standings: 1. USA (44-32-25); 2. Russia (26-21-16); 3. Germany (20-18-27)

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games took place on July 19, 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Stadium. 170 television companies broadcast live the ceremony, which was watched by about 3.5 billion people according to media reports.

The history of Atlanta and the American South, as well as the centenary of the Olympic Movement, were the main themes of the colorful demonstration numbers of the ceremony.

The parade of athletes was attended by 10,700 athletes from all 197 participating countries. After the end of the parade, IOC President J.A. Samaranch and President of the Organizing Committee of the Games Billy Payne delivered speeches. US President Bill Clinton officially declared the Games open. The Olympic flag was raised to the music of the Olympic anthem. The culmination of the opening ceremony was the lighting of the Olympic flame. The torch was carried around the stadium by famous American athletes - boxer Evander Holyfield, swimmer Janette Evans; and the honor of lighting a fire in a bowl was granted former boxer Muhammad Ali. The traditional oath was taken by judges and athletes - basketball player Teresa Edwards did it on behalf of the athletes.

The final chord of the ceremony was the performance of the song "The Power of Dreams", a composition created specifically for the Games by the famous singer Celine Dion and colorful fireworks.

Since the Games were held in the year of the centenary of the 1st Olympic Games, Athens was considered by many to be the favorite in the voting for the choice of the capital. However, the Games were unexpectedly given to Atlanta.

The organization of the Games has been heavily criticized by officials, athletes and journalists. Problems with the organization of traffic, the incompetence of volunteers, and failures in the operation of information systems were especially noted. The over-commercialization of the Games has been criticized. A serious incident was the explosion in the Olympic Park, which occurred on July 27 and temporarily blocked the Olympic events. As a result of the explosion, one person died, another died of a heart attack, and more than a hundred people were slightly injured. At the closing ceremony of the Games, IOC President J. A. Samaranch, for the only time during his presidency, did not say the traditional phrase "These Games were the best in history."

Softball, beach volleyball, mountain biking, women's soccer, and light weight crew racing in rowing made their Olympic debuts.

Twenty countries took part in the Games for the first time, including Russia and 11 other former Soviet republics. Four years ago, all the countries that once made up the USSR, with the exception of the Baltic states, competed as part of the United Team.

The largest number of gold medals, four, was won by the American swimmer Amy van Dycken. She won the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly; and also competed in the 4x100 freestyle and medley relay events. The largest total number of medals, six, is on account of the Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov.

Li Laishang won the competition at sail board the first and last gold medal in the history of Hong Kong as a British colony.

The strongest professional cyclists were admitted to the Games for the first time. Won individual road race five-time champion race Tour de France Spaniard Miguel Indurain.

American Michael Johnson and Frenchwoman Marie Jo Perec made a gold double in the 200 and 400 meters, with Johnson with a world record in the two hundred meters.

Sprinter Donovan Bailey of Canada won the 100m with a world record time of 9.84 seconds.

The famous athlete Carl Lewis won his fourth gold medal in the long jump at the age of 35.

Russian swimmer Alexander Popov won the 50m and 100m freestyle at the second Olympics in a row.

Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu became the first representative of his sport to win three Olympic gold medals.

The athletics stadium contained nine tracks for running 100 meters. At the same time, 9 participants went to the final race (those who took 8th and 9th places showed the same time in the semi-finals). After the Olympics, it was converted into a baseball one.

At the third consecutive Olympic Games, the Russian Greco-Roman wrestler Alexander Karelin won gold.

The American basketball team, made up of NBA players and named Dream Team 2, won the gold of the Olympic tournament following their predecessors from Dream Team 1.

The victory of the Nigerian team in the football competition was the first ever Olympic football victory for an African country.

All 4 medals for Ireland (three gold and one bronze) were won by swimmer Michelle Smith. Two years later, she was caught using illegal drugs and disqualified, but she was not deprived of the 1996 Olympic medals.

The American women's gymnastics team won the Olympics for the first time in team competition. The courageous behavior of Kelly Strug, who performed in the final exercise with serious injury, has been discussed in the press for a long time.

Chinese athlete Deng Yaping for the second Olympics in a row made a double in individual and doubles table tennis competitions.

Heavyweight boxer Paea Wolfgram from Tonga won so far the only Olympic medal of this state. He lost only in the final of the tournament to Wladimir Klitschko.

The closing ceremony took place on August 4 at the Atlanta Olympic Stadium in the presence of more than 85,000 people. Many famous American musicians took part in the musical part of the ceremony.

Right during the closing ceremony, the winners of the men's marathon, which took place on the last day of the Games, were awarded.

By tradition, the athletes took part in another parade, but this time they were not divided by countries, but all together, symbolizing Olympic unity.

IOC President J. A. Samaranch spoke specifically about the threat of terrorism and called for the memory of the victims of the explosion in the Olympic Park in Atlanta, as well as the Israeli athletes who died in 1972 in Munich.

The Olympic flag was lowered from the flagpole, and the challenge Olympic banner was solemnly presented to the mayor of Sydney, the capital of the next Games.

After the official announcement of the Games as closed, the Olympic flame was extinguished. The ceremony ended with a grandiose fireworks display.

Olympic games were held July 19-August 4, 1996 in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Atlanta became the legal host of the Olympic Games on September 18, 1990 at the IOC Session in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Since the Games were to be held in year of the centenary of the modern Olympic movement, many experts and sports fans were convinced that the competition should be held in the historical homeland of the Olympic Games - Greece. But the IOC members chose Atlanta, believing that hosting the Games in the United States would bring more revenue than in Greece.

opening ceremony, which took place on July 19, 1996, was watched by a record 3.5 billion people. The theatrical part of the opening of the Games was devoted to the history of the southern part of the United States and the 100th anniversary of the Olympic movement. The Olympic flame was lit by the legendary American boxer (Cassius Clay).

Participated in the Olympic Games 10,318 athletes from 197 countries. The games provided almost 50 thousand volunteers. Competitions were held in 37 sports (official website of the IOC), 271 award sets. Softball, beach volleyball, mountain biking, light weight crew races in rowing, women's football debuted in the competition program.

An incomprehensible goggle-eyed became the mascot of the Games little man Izzy(short for What is it?). Unlike other mascots, Izzy did not become popular with fans and tourists. This talisman is considered the most failed in the history of the Olympic movement.

The heroine of the Games in Atlanta was American Amy Van Dyken, who won four gold medals in swimming (50m high speed, 100m butterfly, 4x100m relay, 4x100m combined relay). Russian swimmer Alexander Popov won 4 medals, 2 of which (at distances of 50 and 100 m) are gold. The greatest number of medals at the Olympic Games was won by the famous Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov. He won 6 awards - 2 gold (vault, team championship), 1 silver (absolute championship), 3 bronze (horse exercises, crossbar, floor exercises).

Muhammad Ali

For the first time professional cyclists took part in the Olympic Games. The best in the individual road race was the legendary Spanish cyclist, multiple winner of the Tour de France.

A serious fight for medals unfolded in the athletics competitions. French sprinter Marie Jo Perec won two gold medals in the 200m and 400m. Marie became the first athlete in the history of the Olympics, who managed to win twice in a row (1992 and 1996) in the 400 m. In men, Michael Johnson became the king of the sprint, who won 2 gold medals in the 200 and 400 m.

The legendary American athlete, at the age of 35, managed to win the ninth Olympic gold medal, this time in the long jump. For the first time in the history of weightlifting, a famous Turkish athlete won the third consecutive gold medal. Also, the famous Greco-Roman wrestler became a three-time Olympic champion.

The football Olympic tournament ended sensationally, where the Nigerian team won, having beaten the strong team of Argentina in the final match. A brilliant victory at the Olympic Games was won by the now famous Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

Of the 197 participating countries, medals were won by representatives of 79 countries, athletes from 53 countries became owners of gold medals. In the unofficial team standings, the victory was celebrated by the US team, whose athletes won 101 medals - (44-32-25). The second place was taken by the Olympic team of the Russian Federation - 63 medals (26-21-16), the third place was taken by German athletes - 65 awards (20-18-27).

Despite the magnificent sporting achievements, numerous world records, the Olympic Games in Atlanta are remembered as a failed organization. Volunteers were not prepared to provide the Games and work with tourists, information systems were constantly breaking down. The organizers were accused of excessive commercialization of the Games. July 27 became a sad page in the Games. On this day, a bomb planted by terrorists exploded in the Olympic Park. As a result, 2 people died, more than a hundred were injured.

At the official closing ceremony of the Games, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch for the first time during his presidency did not say the traditional phrase "These Games were the best in history", thus expressing dissatisfaction with the organization of the Games.