Sydney 2000 Olympics 21-Year Anniversary
THE storylines from the Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games may still be with us, but Australians will dig deeper into their memory bank today as we celebrate 21 years since Sydney 2000.
Where were you on the evening of 15 September 2000 . . . the night of the Opening Ceremony for a Sydney Olympics that were destined to become “the best ever” Games.
Were you at Stadium Australia, the Sydney Olympic Stadium that night? Or one of the 3.7 billion TV viewers around the world who tuned in to the momentous events unfolding in Sydney?
It’s now 21 years since we welcomed the world to Sydney, and as the sun sets on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Japan we take a look back at our own special Olympic memories that changed Sydney forever.
The Sydney 2000 Games were a true celebration of Olympic values and sporting excellence, but they were also a point in history – a fortnight that bonded Sydneysiders like never before and showcased to the world our amazing harbour city.
Sydney 2000 Olympics
The Sydney Olympics featured 199 competing countries and 10,651 athletes who marched in the parade of nations at the Olympic Stadium.
The Opening Ceremony was a stunning tribute to Australian culture, history and identity.
And while most people will remember “hero girl” Nikki Webster flying across the arena, everyone will surely remember the moment that defined the Games – when golden girl Freeman had the honour of lighting the Olympic torch, igniting the flame in The Cauldron within a circle of fire. The emotional moment helped symbolise the desire to reconcile with the Aboriginal populations of Australia.
Ten days later, in front of 112,524 fans, then the largest attendance for any sport in Olympics history, Cathy raced to gold in the women’s 400m.
Our Aussie team won 58 medals: 16 gold, 25 silver, and 17 bronze. By the time a squadron of jet fighters roared across Sydney from the Stadium to the Harbour to close the Games, our nation had staged an event so good it set a new benchmark for the Olympic movement.
One of the extraordinary characteristics of the Sydney Olympics was the number of volunteers – all 46,967 of them, which had grown from an original number of 500 as Sydneysiders embraced the Games like no other city had done before.
Legacy
Today, Stadium Australia stands as a magnificent legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, with more than 29 million fans having passed through the Stadium turnstiles to watch some of Australia’s most iconic sporting moments and biggest entertainment events.
And Cathy Freeman Park – located just outside the eastern gates of the Stadium – is a tribute to our golden girl’s 2000 heroics.
The original Olympic Cauldron, with its distinct water fountain, can be found at the northern end of Cathy Freeman Park.
The tunnel that brought the athletes into the Olympic Stadium for events now links to the NSW Rugby League Centre of Excellence, and the Blues players call on the spirit of the Olympics as they pass through the tunnel on State of Origin game nights.
Many of the other original Olympics venues are still used successfully to host sports, cultural and entertainment events in Sydney Olympic Park.
Before the global pandemic changed our lives, the Stadium would welcome up to 1.6 million fans every year for events. Thousands more visit the Stadium for conferences, lunches and celebrations, or as part of a tour. As many as 13 million people visited the wider Sydney Olympic Park, which hosts more than 5000 events each year.
The mighty Sydney 2000 Games was an event that shifted Sydney on its axis. From the night Cathy lit the flame, the city’s focus began a slow, definite and logical drift. The physical mass of 1.5 million-plus fans each year attending events at Stadium Australia created a new gravitational force – dragging the city’s consciousness away from the ocean fringes.
Today, the Stadium helps meet the demands of Greater Western Sydney – the fastest growing community in the country – and provides a major events Stadium for people throughout the Greater Sydney area.
The memories of the Sydney Olympics will surely flood back for all Australians this September – 21 years since Sydney hosted those magnificent Summer Games at the turn of the century.
