The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad and also known as Athens 2004, were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries, with 301 medal events in 28 different sports. The 2004 Games marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance, and also marked the first time Athens hosted the Games since their first modern incarnation in 1896 as well as the return of the Olympic games to its birthplace. Athens became one of only four cities at the time to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two occasions. A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since 1928. The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens rectifying the long-running mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue. The 2004 Games was the first of two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Southern Europe since the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and was followed by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Olympia, officially Archaia Olympia, is a small town in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. This site was a major Panhellenic religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout Classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. They were restored on a global basis in 1894 in honor of the ideal of peaceful international contention for excellence.
Carl Diem was a German sports administrator, and as Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Berlin Olympic Games, the chief organizer of the 1936 Olympic Summer Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags, and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout the years, such as the Olympic flag.
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland houses permanent and temporary exhibits relating to sport and the Olympic movement. With more than 10,000 artifacts, the museum is the largest archive of Olympic Games memorabilia in the world and one of Lausanne's prime tourist site draws attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year.
Kaftanzoglio Stadium is a sports stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, in honour of Lysandros Kaftanzoglou, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the Balkans. It currently has 27,770 seats, owing to conversion of terraces to seats in 2000 and a comprehensive renovation before reopening to host football matches for the 2004 Summer Olympics, which was centered in Athens. It was the largest stadium in Greece until 1982, but has since been surpassed in capacity by the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
The O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall, which is a part of the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (O.A.C.A.) «Spyros Louis», was completed in 1994, and is the largest indoor venue in Greece and was used for sporting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece. It is located in Marousi, in the north section of the city. During their construction and renovations was considered to be one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe.
Paraguay competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of its partial support to the United States boycott.
Mali competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004.
Toumba Stadium is a multi–purpose stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, mainly used for football. It is property of AC PAOK and hosts PAOK FC since its completion in 1959. The official name of the stadium is simply PAOK Stadium, but through the years it has become synonymous with the borough it is built at, the borough of Toumba.
Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games, which were held in 1859, 1870, 1875, and 1888 and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. These Games, known at the time simply as Olympics, came before the founding of the International Olympic Committee itself. The legacy of Zappas, as well as the legacy of his cousin Konstantinos, was also used to fund the Olympic Games of 1896.
The men's football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held in Athens and four other cities in Greece from 11 to 28 August. The tournament featured 16 men's national teams from the six continental confederations. The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four, in which each team would play each of the others once. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage, beginning with the quarter-finals and culminating with the final at Athens' Olympic Stadium on 28 August 2004.
Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum (NOESIS) is a science and technology located in Thermi at the outskirts of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece. The museum is actively engaged in the protection of the Greek technological heritage. In addition to technological exhibits on its premises, it houses various types of facilities, such as a planetarium, an amphitheatre, a simulation room, and a wide-screen cinema for the projection of educational programs.
Alexandreio Melathron Nick Galis Hall is an indoor sports arena that is located in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is also often referred to as the Palais des Sports.
Athens 2010 Youth Olympics Bid is the official bid of Athens in order to host the first Youth Olympics. The Athens bid is one of the strong favourites as the Ancient Olympics started here, the Modern Olympics did as well. Athens was the host of the 1896 Summer Olympics the 2004 Summer Olympics and seven IOC Sessions. As stated on their website, Athens is eager to host the Games not only to utilize their state of the art venues, but to establish the Youth Olympics in the "birthplace" of the Modern and Ancient Games.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is the second oldest National Olympic Committee in the world, it organizes the country's representatives at the Olympic Games and other multi-sport events.
The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games Chinese: 第二届夏季青年奧林匹克运动会; pinyin: Dì'èrjiè Xiàjì Qīngnián Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì, and commonly known as Nanjing 2014, were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports, education and cultural festival for teenagers, held from 16 to 28 August 2014 in Nanjing, China. These were the first Youth Olympic Games held in China, making it the first country to host both regular and Youth Olympics following the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum is a museum in Athens, Greece, created by the renowned Greek jewellery designer Ilias Lalaounis. The ILJM is located near the Acropolis, at the corner of Karyatidon and Kallisperi streets. It comprises 50 collections of a total of over 4,000 jewels and small ornaments dedicated to the history and art of jewellery making. The permanent exhibition displays more than 3000 pieces designed in the period 1940–1992.
The Museum of Byzantine Culture is a museum in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece, which opened in 1994.
In Ancient Greece, the history of running can be traced back to 776 BC. Running was important to members of ancient Greek society, and is consistently highlighted in documents referencing the Ancient Olympic Games. The Olympic Games hosted a large variety of running events, each with its own set of rules. The ancient Greeks developed difficult training programs with specialized trainers in preparation for the Games. The training and competitive attitude of Greek athletes gives insight into how scientifically advanced Greece was for the time period.
