The opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics took place in the evening on Friday, July 19 at the Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, United States. It was the first time in the modern Olympics history to open on Friday instead of Saturday in previous years. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sporting event, including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes, with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture and history. The Games were officially opened by President of the United States of America Bill Clinton.
The Olympic cauldron was lit by former gold medalist and boxing champion Muhammad Ali. - “Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic Flame at Atlanta 1996” (Olympics - YouTube) The ceremony featured film composer John Williams, French Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer Gladys Knight. The ceremony attendance was 85,600.
The ceremony was produced and directed by Don Mischer. It was watched by an estimated 3.6billion viewers worldwide.
Dignitaries The ceremony was attended by many world leaders.
Dignitaries from international organizations United Nations – Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali European Union – Vice President Frans Andriessen Organization of American States – Secretary General Cesar Gaviria International Olympic Committee – President Juan Antonio Samaranch and wife María Teresa Salisachs Rowe Members of the International Olympic Committee
Host nation dignitaries United States – President Bill Clinton First Lady Hillary Clinton President & CEO of ACOG Billy Payne and wife Martha Payne Former President Jimmy Carter Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Civil Rights Leader Coretta Scott King actor Bruce Willis and actresses Demi Moore and Jane Fonda and husband Ted Turner Speaker Newt Gingrich Real Estate Tycoon Donald Trump and wife actress Marla Maples Trump
Foreign dignitaries Canada – Prime Minister Jean Chretien (representing the Queen and Governor General of Canada) Mexico – President Ernesto Zedillo Brazil – President Fernando Henrique Cardoso Argentina – President Carlos Menem Bolivia – President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada France – President Jacques Chirac Belgium – Crown Prince Philippe (representing the King of Belgium) Portugal – President Jorge Sampaio Namibia – Prime Minister Hage Geingob Russia – Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin United Kingdom – Princess Anne (representing the Queen of the United Kingdom) Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine Italy – Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema Lithuania – President Algirdas Brazauskas Netherlands – Prime Minister Wim Kok Greece – President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Germany – Chancellor Helmut Kohl Two time Olympic Gold Medalist Katarina Witt Turkey – Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan South Africa – Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and Zanele Dlamini Mbeki Rwanda – Vice President Paul Kagame Lebanon – Prime Minister Rafic Hariri Australia: Viceregal Consort Helen Deane (representing the Queen and Governor-General of Australia) Prime Minister Paul Keating Lord Mayor of Sydney Frank Sartor (host city of 2000 Summer Olympics) Japan: Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto (representing the Emperor of Japan) Mayor of Nagano Tasuku Tsukada (host city of 1998 Winter Olympics) Philippines – First Lady Amelita Ramos Bosnia and Herzegovina – Prime Minister Hasan Muratović Poland – President Aleksander Kwaśniewski Finland – President Martti Ahtisaari Belarus – President Aleksander Lukashenko Monaco – Prince Rainier III Luxembourg – Grand Duke Jean Norway – Crown Prince Haakon (representing the King of Norway) Denmark – Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen San Marino – Captains Regent Pietro Bugli and Pier Paolo Gasperoni Sweden – King Carl XVI Gustaf Spain – Crown Prince Felipe and Queen Sofia (representing the King of Spain) Dominica – Prime Minister Edison James US Virgin Islands – Governor Roy Schneider Yugoslavia – President Zoran Lilić Saint Kitts and Nevis – Prime Minister Denzil Douglas Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Proceedings Countdown The ceremony began with a countdown at the screen coming from 60 to 1. Starting at 22, footage from previous games appeared with Atlanta at the end complete with an image of fireworks, with a few seconds fireworks display along with numbers between 22 and 1 being from previous games until 0 from the current games. 22 - 1896 Athens 21 - 1900 Paris 20 - 1904 St. Louis 19 - 1908 London 18 - 1912 Stockholm 17 - 1920 Antwerp 16 - 1924 Paris 15 - 1928 Amsterdam 14 - 1932 Los Angeles 13 - 1936 Berlin 12 - 1948 London 11 - 1952 Helsinki 10 - 1956 Melbourne (Ten) 9 - 1960 Rome (Nine) 8 - 1964 Tokyo (Eight) 7 - 1968 Mexico City (Seven) 6 - 1972 Munich (Six) 5 - 1976 Montreal (Five) 4 - 1980 Moscow (Four) 3 - 1984 Los Angeles (Three) 2 - 1988 Seoul (Two) 1 - 1992 Barcelona (One) 0 - 1996 Atlanta
The Call to the Nations The segment began by airing a flashback from the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in August 1992 which showed International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch inviting the athletes to compete in Atlanta before the announcers welcomed the world to the ceremony in French and English.
Allegoric spirits then rose from the northwest corner of the stadium in response to the president's invitation. Representing the Olympic colors of Red (Americas), Green (Oceania), Black (Africa), Yellow (Asia), and Blue (Europe), they each rose to the beat of their own percussion. They summoned tribes out to the stadium floor with their own color and the percussion began to mix. Meanwhile, US Army Paratroopers rappelled down from the stadium roof trailing long colorful papers representing the colors while the tribes formed the Rings of the Olympic flag and the Children of Atlanta, dressed in white, formed the number 100 representing the Centennial of the Olympic Games.
Then the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of famed film composer John Williams, played "Summon the Heroes", which was the official anthem of the 1996 Olympics. (This was actually his second piece of music for the Olympics with the first being Olympic Fanfare and Theme from the 1984 games.) As the music started, the children formed a flying dove, which is a symbol of the Olympic movement as doves symbolize peace. As the music continued, the five tribes intermingled until there was a huge mixture of humanity at the center of the stadium with the tribes all mingled together as one to symbolize the gathering of nations at the Olympics.
The National Anthem Following the Call to the Nations, the first official protocol of the ceremony took place. This called for the head of state to make his or her entrance. In this case the head of state was Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. He was joined by Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games President Billy Payne and IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. After the presentation of colors, the American flag was raised while the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (now conducted by Robert Shaw) and the Centennial Olympic Choir performed the U.S. national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. A fly-by from the USAF Thunderbirds concluded the segment.
Welcome to the World The Artistic portion of the ceremony began and first up was a rousing number called "Welcome to the World," composed by songwriting team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This was an over the top number featuring cheerleaders, marching bands, and steppers, as all activities originated in the United States. They performed a montage of southern culture in the deep south including the college sporting culture as well as performing an all-American party. The audience also participated as they performed the wave. Assisting the cast were chromed Chevrolet pick-up trucks a nod the U.S. auto industry with spotlights in the beds. The segment ended with a fireworks display.
Georgia on My Mind Gladys Knight sang "Georgia on My Mind", Georgia's official state song, at the opening ceremony.
Summertime: The Beauty of the South This was the longest artistic segment of the ceremony. Entitled "Summertime: The Beauty of the South," the focus was on Atlanta and the Old South with an emphasis on its beauty, spirit, music, history, culture and rebirth after the American Civil War. During the segment James Earl Jones quoted famous American writers Zora Neale Hurston, William Faulkner, and Mark Twain.
The segment began with two people, each dressed in large butterfly-like wingspans. One butterfly represented the Moon and the other the Sun, positioned on opposite ends of the stadium. They met in the center and created the "American Southern Spirit". The American Southern Spirit was portrayed by a female operatic singer dressed all in white with large butterfly wingspans. The southern spirit butterfly, along with other performers dressed as butterflies and fireflies, danced to southern music. They welcomed the spring with Jazz and Gospel music. Songs included "Ol' Man River", "Skip to My Lou", and "When the Saints Go Marching In". This was meant to represent the American South during the antebellum period of American history.
During the celebration, a large mechanical thunderbird appeared from the north end of the stadium and engulfed all the butterflies and fireflies on the stadium floor with a large gray cover. The large creature represented the American Civil War and the damage caused by Sherman's March to the Sea to the city, the American South, and the nation as a whole. The performers and the southern spirit butterfly were left ravaged, in shock, and saddened. The southern spirit butterfly was devastated, but she slowly brought the other butterflies and creatures back to life with her operatic voice. She reawakened the creatures. Fifty southern spirit-dressed butterflies reappeared, all dressed with multi-colored wingspans. They represented a new and reborn South. The entire stadium was relit with colored flashlights provided to the audience, and the music began to play "Alleluyah, Glory, Glory (Lay My Burden Down)" in gospel music, followed by a reprise of "When the Saints Go Marching In". The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Centennial Choir (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Morehouse College Glee Club & Spelman College Glee Club) performed all the music. The segment ended with a large fireworks display.
Temple of Zeus The stadium was then darkened, and a temple was produced at the centre of the stadium, representing the ancient Greek Olympics. This was a large temple dedicated to Zeus, featuring eight pillars, each weighing 2,500 pounds, arranged in an octagonal shape at the center of the stadium. A procession of Greek athletes and Greek priestesses walked towards the pillars, simulating preparation for athletic competition. Each manually adjustable cable of the eight pillars simultaneously hoisted up an upper perimeter of the large screen until the screen formed its upright 360° octagonal shape. Once hoisted, eight to sixteen actors and dancers located between the interior of the screen and a central 20,000-watt arc light cast body-shadows or silhouettes portraying athletes or goddesses, at times reaching nearly 50 feet in height. They struck the poses of the classic events of the ancient Olympics: archery, the discus, wrestling, and running. The goddess of victory then appeared to honor the champions."Secrets of the Olympic Ceremonies (eBook) pgs. 91-93"1996 Atlanta Olympic Opening Ceremony WXIA Part 3 of 8" YouTube.com The music used during this segment was called "The Tradition of the Games," composed by Basil Poledouris. The segment ended with everything going dark, signifying the end of the ancient Olympics. Behind the scenes, workers removed the tarp from the track.
Parade of Nations