1996 Summer Olympics: Games of the XXVI Olympiad!

Plaque Text for Georgia Landmark #60-19:

From July 19 through August 4, 1996, Atlanta hosted the Centennial Summer Olympic Games, the largest event in Atlanta’s history. In 1990, the International Olympic Committee chose Atlanta over five other cities. Atlanta attorney Billy Payne and Mayor Andrew Young were the prime architects of the winning bid. Preparations had an estimated economic impact of at least $5.14 billion. Civic leaders built new sports venues, created park space, improved sidewalks and streets, and altered housing patterns. During the Olympics more than 2 million visitors came to Atlanta, and an estimated 3.5 billion people around the world watched on television. For the first time, all nations invited sent athletes, more than 10,000 competitors from 197 nations. The 1996 Olympics promoted Atlanta’s image as an international city, positioning it to play an important role in global commerce.

More about the 1996 Summer Olympics: Games of the XXVI Olympiad:

Centennial Park, where this marker is located, was a huge, trash-filled lot before the Olympics! It took $75 million in private donations to overhaul the area and turn it into the festival venue and recreational park that it is today! The rebirth of this area spread throughout Atlanta as part of an ongoing downtown revitalization effort!

This park was also where Eric Rudolph detonated a pipe bomb on July 27, 1996 in the middle of a concert, killing one person and injuring more than a hundred others! It was one of only two Olympic terrorist attacks (the other being in Munich in 1972), and it took five years to track down the culprit hiding in the mountains of North Carolina!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Volunteer with the Atlanta Office of Parks!
Donate to the Georgia Historical Society!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!