2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

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. An estimated 4.5 billion people watched it worldwide on television, though many of them watched it on a tape delay due to large time differences between Greece and other nations. It marked the first-ever international broadcast of high definition television, undertaken by NBC and the Japanese television station NHK.

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.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040823-682263,00.html

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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 into the stadium at the beginning of the parade, and the athletes themselves at the end of it.

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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.http://www.athens2004.com/Files/pdf/NOC_marching_order.pdf

Related Topics:
Saint Lucia - Greek - Greek alphabet - Zimbabwe

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Afghanistan's entrance was an emotional highpoint of the parade, since Afghanistan had been absent from the Olympics since its Taliban regime took control of its government. The Iraqi delegation also stirred emotions as its teams in the past were tortured by Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein. 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 time since the country was officially renamed in 2003; it had previously been known as Yugoslavia.

Related Topics:
Afghanistan - Taliban - Iraq - Uday Hussein - Saddam Hussein - North Korea - South Korea - Kiribati - East Timor - Serbia and Montenegro - 2003 - Yugoslavia

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Due to the unpopularity of the American-led invasion of Iraq among Greeks, it had been expected that audience members would protest the war during the entrance of the American delegation into the stadium by booing; however, the roar of cheers and applause the Americans received was among the loudest of the evening.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/3564088.stmhttp://www.indystar.com/articles/4/170267-4554-036.htmlhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/08/14/bc.olympics.usa.cheers/ Commentators noted that the applause and loud cheering occurred because Greeks typically view the American public warmly, especially since over 1 million people of Greek descent live within the United States, even though they traditionally disagree with the policies of the American government.

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Apart from Greece and the United States, 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; the United Kingdom, a traditional friend and home of a large number of Greek students; and Mediterranean countries such as France and Italy. The team from Palestine was also 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 dispute over its name; Israel; and Turkey, reflecting the political sympathies of the Greek public.

Related Topics:
Cyprus - Australia - Previous Summer Olympics - United Kingdom - Mediterranean - France - Italy - Palestine - Portugal - Euro 2004 - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Dispute over its name - Israel - Turkey

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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, and Crown Prince Fredrik 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.

Related Topics:
U.K. Prime Minister - Tony Blair - Crown Prince Haakon - Norway - Crown Prince Fredrik - Denmark - U.S. President - George H. W. Bush

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