Location information

Sydney 2000

SYDNEY (Town) NEW SOUTH WALES
  The Sydney Olympics were considered to be among the best-organized Games in history and their security system was exemplary. Also more nations and athletes than ever before participated in these games (199 nations/10.651 athletes). The team of the host to the Olympics was the largest to ever represent Australia in Olympic competition.
  Juan Antonio Samaranch attended the events for the last time as President of the International Olympic Committee and appeared very moved. He was IOC President from 1980 until 2001 and his name has been strongly connected with the history of modern Olympics organization. He now is Honorary ICO President for life.
  Cathy Freeman who afterwards won the golden medal in 400m lit the Olympic Flame.
  The Sydney experience recalled to many minds the Olympic Creed as stated by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games: "The most important thing is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing to life is not the triumph but the struggle". Those athletes who had persisted in their efforts, instead of giving up after losing in the past, were finally rewarded. The USA softball team may have lost three games at start but they soon "recovered", their performances were very good and they finally defeated the teams they had lost to. Birgit Fischer who competed in canoeing won two gold medals - her first after 20 years. Judo athlete Judika Ryoko Tamura who had competed both in the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic finals without managing to defeat her adversaries, finally made it in Sydney and won the gold medal.
  There were, of course, cases of athletes keeping on a very impressive course such as rower Steve Redgrave who won the gold medal in five consecutive Olympics. Swimmer Ιan Thorpe, apart from wining the silver medal with the 4x200m freestyle Australian relay team, won the gold medal in 4x100m freestyle, in 200m freestyle and in 400m freestyle where he also established a new world record over his own previous one.