Athens 2004: Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (2004)

The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad returned to the birthplace of the Olympics - Athens, Greece. The Games ran from August 13-29, 2004. Athens hosted 11,099 athletes, the largest number ever and also the most women athletes (40%). Representatives from 202 countries took part, more than any other sports event and all but 5 countries sent women athletes. The Olympic flame traveled for the first time to all continents. The shot put event was held in Olympia - the site of the ancient Olympic games. The Marathon was run from Marathonas to the Panathenaic Stadium (venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896). In essence, the runners were running the route run by Phidippides after the battle of Marathon in whose honor the Marathon race was created. A record 4 billion viewers watched the games. Sailing Olympic winner Nikos Kaklamanakis, lit the Olympic torch which pivoted downwards, bringing symbolically together earth and sky, and then slowly lifted upwards above the Athens Olympic Stadium. Michael Phelps won 8 medals (6 gold) in swimming and tied for the most number of medals won in a single Olympics. The top 3 medal-winning nations at the end of the games were: the USA with 103 medals (35 gold, 39 silver, 29 bronze); Russia with 92 medals (27 gold, 27 silver, 38 bronze); China with 63 medals (32 gold, 17 silver, 14 bronze). The games were also overshadowed by controversies. The World Anti-Doping Agency caught 22 athletes with drug doping violations during the games - a record. Famous Greek athletes Kostas Kenteris, the 200-meter Sydney Olympic winner, and Katerina Thanou were banned from the games for failing to provide timely samples. The judging for the Men's Individual All-Around Gymnastic medal regarding Paul Hamm (U.S. gold medalist), and Yang Tae-young (South Korea bronze medalist) concerned incorrect scoring. The most unforgettable moment in the entire Olympics might be the sportsmanship and courage shown by Brazilian Vanderlei Lima who won the bronze. He was attacked by a defrocked Irish priest Cornelius Horan while he was leading the race about 3 miles from the finish. For his performance, Lima also got the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin award for excellence as an athlete. However, the closing ceremony ended on a positive note. IOC president Jacques Rogge asked, "I call upon the youth of the world to assemble 4 years now in Beijing to celebrate with us there the Games of the XXIX Olympiad".