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eventREF E-0013490Revised

Event record

The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place

The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place

Date
15 Sep 2000
Updated
30 Sep 2019
The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place

The 2000 Summer Olympic Games or Millennium Games, hosted by Australia, were officially opened in the capital Sydney. Australia won the right to host the games in 1993 when it was selected over Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul and Manchester. The opening ceremony began with a tribute to the heritage of the Australian Stock Horse. The ceremony was attended by 199 nations, including South Africa, with the exception of only one member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Afghanistan, which was suspended due to the Taliban regime's prohibition against practicing of any kind of sports. The highlight of the opening ceremony was the entrance of North and South Korea, coming as one team and using a specially designed unification flag, but competing separately. The ceremony was concluded with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. 

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How we know this

  1. 01Olympic website, Sydney 2000: 15th September-1st October, [online], Available at www.olympic.org [Accessed: 12 September 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013490

South African History Online (2011) 'The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013490 (Accessed: 2 August 2026).

South African History Online, The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013490, (accessed 2 August 2026).

"The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013490. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "The Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0013490.

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