London Olympics Spurs Memories of 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta

As someone who lived in Atlanta in 1996, the upcoming London Olympics is spurring fond memories of the Summer Games that were held right here in our own back yard. It all started in 1990, when Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, announced that Atlanta was chosen over Athens, Belgrade, Manchester, Melbourne and Toronto as host city for the 1996 Summer Olympics. A parade along Peachtree Street ensued and everyone in Atlanta looked forward to being in the international spotlight.

Right after the big announcement, Atlanta scrambled to transform itself into an Olympic city. Dozens of construction sites popped up and contractors had to beg neighboring cities and states for heavy equipment. Construction began on Atlanta’s new 21-acre Centennial Park, the Olympic cauldron, a new tennis complex in Stone Mountain and many others. The old Braves stadium was imploded and replaced with what is now known as Turner Field. Olympic Village sprang up at Georgia Tech to accommodate the 10,000 athletes from around the world. During the six years of preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics, it was an incredibly exciting time to live in Atlanta.

On July 19, 1996, it was finally time to welcome the world and kick off the Summer Olympics with a grand Opening Ceremony. Unless you worked for or had connections to a sponsor, tickets were impossible to snag. Most people in Atlanta, like myself, watched the event on our brand new big screen TV’s, which we purchased just for the Atlanta Olympics. Hollywood heavyweights Celine Dion and Gladys Knight performed, as well as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Centennial Choir from Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. The most touching moment of the Opening Ceremony in 1996 was when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron and received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory during the 1960 Games.

Many Atlanta residents were able to attend one or more athletic competitions during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Because I worked for HiFi Buys at the time and Panasonic was a major sponsor, I was able to attend swimming, gymnastics, table tennis, baseball, basketball and tennis events. Despite advance warnings about traffic nightmares, it wasn’t too difficult to navigate Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. Most residents used MARTA to get around and adjusted their work schedules to be off the roads during peak times.

The events were wonderful and the perfect way to meet people from around the globe. Pin trading was a good way to break the ice. I remember trading a Panasonic pin with someone from China who didn’t speak a word of English. It didn’t matter because at that moment we were just two people who shared a love for the Olympics and what they stood for – peace, unity and a time to come together.

During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Centennial Park was the center of the action. Thousands gathered there all day and into the night to trade pins and soak up the spirit of the Olympics. Live entertainers performed and the park was always packed, but the chaos was controlled, at least until that fateful night on July 27.

I was in Centennial Park that night after attending a table tennis event downtown. My best friend and I traded pins for hours and finally headed out and jumped on MARTA. When we got to our cars at the North Springs station, we immediately heard on the radio that a bomb went off just minutes after we left. Like the rest of Atlanta, we were in shock. The pipe bomb killed two and wounded 111 others. It was definitely the darkest day of the 1996 Olympics.

In the end, the United States won more medals than any other country. Our athletes were took home 44 gold, 32 silver and 25 bronze medals, for a total of 101. In Atlanta,  197 nations competed in the 1996 Olympic Games. The economic impact was incredible. More than two million people visited Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics and 3.5 billion people from around the world watched the Games on television. Although the Summer Games in Atlanta were marred by the bombing tragedy at Centennial Park, they were a financial success and had a profound impact on our southern city.

For those of us who got to experience living in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will never be forgotten. When the London Olympics begin on Friday, we’ll all be thinking back to that magical time in Atlanta.

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