2000 Summer Olympics

[Drivindeath]

Country Name: United Mexican States
National Olympic Committee: Comité Olímpico Mexicano
Points allocated to each discipline (300 in total):	Archery [11] Athletics [34] Badminton [0] Baseball [0] Basketball [0] Boxing [16] Sprint Canoeing [12] Slalom Canoeing [0] Road Cycline [0] Track Cycling [11] Mountain Biking [11] Diving [24] Equestrian [17] Fencing [0] Field Hockey [0] Football [0] Artistic Gymnastics [11] Rhythmic Gymnastics [0] Trampoline Gymnastics [0] Handball [0] Judo [11] Modern Pentathlon [12] Rowing [15] Sailing [14] Shooting [11] Softball [0] Swimming [19] Synchronised Swimming [12] Table Tennis [0] Taekwondo [13] Tennis [12] Triathlon [0] Indoor Volleyball [0] Beach Volleyball [14] Water Polo [0] Weightlifting [11] Wrestling [0]

 

[Owen]

Nations would be reminded that they have 1 and a half months (3 weeks OOC) until the opening of the Summer Olympics and must get their applications in before that time.

 

[Owen]

Nations would be reminded that they have Half a month (1 week OOC) until the opening of the Summer Olympics and must get their applications in before that time.

 

[Dutchy]

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Country Name: The Netherlands
National Olympic Committee: Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF)
Points allocated to each discipline (300 in total):	Archery [10] Athletics [35] Badminton [0] Baseball [0] Basketball [5] Boxing [10] Sprint Canoeing [15] Slalom Canoeing [5] Road Cycline [30] Track Cycling [30] Mountain Biking [15] Diving [10] Equestrian [20] Fencing [0] Field Hockey [15] Football [5] Artistic Gymnastics [0] Rhythmic Gymnastics [0] Trampoline Gymnastics [0] Handball 10[] Judo [5] Modern Pentathlon [0] Rowing [10] Sailing [10] Shooting [0] Softball [0] Swimming [30] Synchronised Swimming [0] Table Tennis [0] Taekwondo [0] Tennis [0] Triathlon [0] Indoor Volleyball [15] Beach Volleyball [15] Water Polo [5] Weightlifting [0] Wrestling [0]

 

[Owen]

Nations would be reminded that they have 24 HOURS to submit their applications so the Groups can be announced for the Football tournament which will begin 2 days before the Opening Ceremony.

 

[Owen]

Applications now closed.

Due to there only being 11 nations who allocated any points to play Football, the Olympic Athletes from Palestine, being both an independent team and the only team who didn't allocate points to Football but didn't use all their points would be allocated 1 additional point to play Football in order for there to be 12 nations and an even number. There would be 3 groups for both mens and womens and the groups were determined by random draw. The groups and fixtures are as below:

Mens:

Group A:	Group B:	Group C:
United States Poland The Netherlands Israel	Angola Olympic Athletes from Palestine Great Britain Macau	Sweden Canada Australia Hong Kong

Group A:

Date:	Nations:	Location:
13 September 2000	Israel vs. Poland	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
13 September 2000	United States vs. The Netherlands	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
16 September 2000	Poland vs. United States	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16 September 2000	Israel vs. The Netherlands	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19 September 2000	Israel vs. United States	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19 September 2000	Poland vs. The Netherlands	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney

Group B:

Date:	Nations:	Location:
14 September 2000	Angola vs. Olympic Athletes from Palestine	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
14 September 2000	Great Britain vs. Macau	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
17 September 2000	Macau vs. Angola	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17 September 2000	Great Britain vs. Olympic Athletes from Palestine	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
20 September 2000	Great Britain vs. Angola	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
20 September 2000	Macau vs. Olympic Athletes from Palestine	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Group C:

Date:	Nations:	Location:
13 September 2000	Australia vs. Sweden	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
13 September 2000	Hong Kong vs. Canada	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
16 September 2000	Hong Kong vs. Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
16 September 2000	Sweden vs. Canada	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
19 September 2000	Sweden vs. Hong Kong	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
19 September 2000	Canada vs. Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Womens:

Group D:	Group E:	Group F:
Sweden Poland Olympic Athletes from Palestine Macau	United States Israel Canada Hong Kong	The Netherlands Great Britain Angola Australia

Group D:

Date:	Match:	Location:
13 September 2000	Macau vs. Poland	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
13 September 2000	Sweden vs. Olympic Athletes from Palestine	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
16 September 2000	Macau vs. Olympic Athletes from Palestine	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
16 September 2000	Poland vs. Sweden	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
19 September 2000	Olympic Athletes from Palestine vs. Poland	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19 September 2000	Sweden vs. Macau	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Group E:

Date:	Match:	Location:
14 September 2000	Israel vs. United States	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
14 September 2000	Hong Kong vs. Canada	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
17 September 2000	United States vs. Canada	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
17 September 2000	Hong Kong vs. Israel	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
20 September 2000	Hong Kong vs. United States	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
20 September 2000	Israel vs. Canada	Bruce Stadium, Canberra

Group F:

Date:	Match:	Location:
13 September 2000	The Netherlands vs. Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
13 September 2000	Great Britain vs. Angola	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16 September 2000	Angola vs. Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
16 September 2000	Great Britain vs. The Netherlands	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19 September 2000	The Netherlands vs. Angola	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
19 September 2000	Great Britain vs. Australia	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide

 

[Owen]

The remainder of the Sports which require group stage and then knockout stage and are team-based (one team per country) would be allocated their appropriate groupings by random draw as shown below. Hong Kong would be given 1 extra point to compete in Basketball and Macau would be given 1 extra point to compete in Field Hockey in order to even out the numbers.

Basketball - Mens:

Group A:	Group B:
China Great Britain Canada Russia Poland Australia	Macau Angola United States The Netherlands Hong Kong Sweden

Basketball - Womens:

Group A:	Group B:
Great Britain Poland Canada China United States Russia	Australia Sweden The Netherlands Angola Hong Kong Macau

Water Polo - Mens:

Group A:	Group B:
Great Britain Angola Australia Canada Sweden Russia	Poland The Netherlands United States Hong Kong China Israel

Water Polo - Womens:

Group A:	Group B:
Great Britain United States Angola Canada Australia Poland	The Netherlands Israel Hong Kong China Sweden Russia

Field Hockey - Mens:

Pool A:	Pool B:
Macau Canada China The Netherlands Angola	Great Britain Poland United States Sweden Australia

Field Hockey - Womens:

Pool A:	Pool B:
The Netherlands Sweden Angola United States Australia	Macau Great Britain Poland China Canada

Handball - Mens:

Group A:	Group B:
Great Britain Canada Poland Australia Sweden	The Netherlands China Angola Russia United States

Handball - Womens:

Group A:	Group B:
China Sweden Great Britain Angola Canada	Poland Russia Australia United States The Netherlands

Indoor Volleyball - Mens:

Pool A:	Pool B:
The Netherlands Thailand United States Great Britain Canada Poland	Angola Russia Australia China Hong Kong Sweden

Indoor Volleyball - Womens:

Pool A:	Pool B:
Russia China Great Britain Hong Kong Thailand The Netherlands	Australia Poland Sweden Canada United States Angola

 

[Owen]

With two days out from the Opening Ceremony, preparations would be in full swing. Already, some Football matches were begin to be played in venues across the country. Sydney Airport would begin to see a flood of people coming through its gates, Border Force officers would be bolstered at the International Terminal, including Counter Terrorism officers. All visitors would be heavily scrutinised. All olympic athletes and officials would be granted Special Category Visas for their arrival. Australian Federal Police officers would conduct high-visibility patrols at the airport. Bus loads of athletes would be taken from Sydney Airport to the Olympic Village.

Border Force Counter Terrorism Unit officers at Sydney Airport


Australian Federal Police officers at Sydney Airport


Sydney Olympic Village​

The security operations for the games would crank up and all the Defence Force and NSW Police personnel allocated to the games would be deployed. They would conduct high visibility patrols, on land, air and sea. They would scan venues for bomb threats and would ensure the overall safety of visitors and athletes. The RAAF air traffic controllers at RAAF Base Richmond would complement the civilian Sydney Airport ATC to help with the high load of aircraft coming into the airspace above Sydney. Clearance Divers from the Navy would be sweeping through the harbourside areas of Sydney and ensuring bomb threats are minimised on the harbour, particularly during sailing events. Australian Army Blackhawks would be conducting exercises with 2nd Commando Regiment special forces in the case of a situation similar to that of the 1972 Munich Games. NSW Police would deploy thousands of officers to patrol around venues and high visitor-number areas of Sydney including the harbourside.

Army Blackhawk over the Sydney CBD


NSW Police at Sydney Olympic Park


Police helicopter flies over the Sydney Harbour Bridge


Police boats on Sydney Harbour​

 

[Owen]

Football Preliminary Scores (September 13):

Mens Group A:

Israel 1 - 2 Poland

Poland would pull off an upset victory against favourites Israel.

United States 0 - 1 The Netherlands

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
Poland	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	3
The Netherlands	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3
Israel	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
United States	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0

Mens Group C:

Australia 0 - 1 Sweden

Hong Kong 0 - 2 Canada

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
Canada	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
Sweden	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3
Australia	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0
Hong Kong	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0

Womens Group D:

Macau 0 - 4 Poland

Sweden 2 - 0 Olympic Athletes from Palestine

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
Poland	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	3
Sweden	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
Olympic Athletes from Palestine	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
Macau	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	0

Womens Group F:

The Netherlands 2 - 0 Australia

Great Britain 2 - 1 Angola

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
The Netherlands	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
Great Britain	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	3
Angola	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
Australia	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0

 

[Owen]

Football Preliminary Scores (September 14):

Mens Group B:

Angola 0 - 3 Olympic Athletes from Palestine

Great Britain 1 - 0 Macau

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
Olympic Athletes from Palestine	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	3
Great Britain	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	3
Macau	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0
Angola	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0

Womens Group B:

Israel 2 - 0 United States

Hong Kong 1 - 2 Canada

Team:	Played:	Won:	Drawn:	Lost:	Goals For:	Goals Against:	Goal Difference:	Points:
Israel	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
Canada	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	3
Hong Kong	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
United States	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0

 

[Owen]

Opening Ceremony (September 15):

As spectators arrived, they found on their seats a yellow Globite case with Olympic Stickers on the front, reminiscent of those that once prevailed in Australian schoolrooms in the 20th Century. Inside the case were green and gold socks, cheer band, a torch, lapel pin, event program, postcard, cards, earplugs, stickers and a Kodak CD Rom. The torch and cheer band – set with movement sensitive lights – illuminated the darkened stands during the Fire segment, Arrivals segment and the lighting of the cauldron, while Australian Olympic Team socks appeared prominently on the sea of waving hands during Australia's entry to the stadium.

The Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce, her husband Michael Bryce, the Prime Minister of Australia Kim Beazley and his wife Susie Beazley, the Premier of New South Wales Bob Carr, the Sydney Organising Committee President Michael Knight, former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister John Gorton and Golfer Greg Norman would be of the Australian VIP dignataries to arrive in the VIP box. The Governor-General of New Zealand, Michael Hardie Boys would also be in attendance. The IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch would also arrive accompanied by former Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser.

The Prelude segment lasted an hour before the ceremony started. It was hosted by Seven Network's Sports Commentator David Fordham and news presenter Chris Bath, while seven months pregnant with her first child, live on the northern stage in the stadium. It featured various performances, including a Welcome to Country from the Wangal people, children singing the official Team Welcome Song "G'day G'day", a recognition of the Bidding team and the Olympic volunteers, a recognition from the United Nations of the Olympic Truce, Mexican waves, and a singalong of "Waltzing Matilda" with John Williamson.

The broadcast would start with a short video:

The ceremony began with a countdown composed by Richard Mills performed by Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The large screens counted down from 60 to 1. Starting at 23, footage from previous games appeared with the phrase "Opening Ceremony" at the end.

The Opening Ceremony began with a tribute to the heritage of the Australian Stock Horse, with the arrival of a lone rider, Steve Jefferys, whose Australian Stock Horse, Ammo, reared. Jefferys then cracked his stockwhip and 120 riders and their Stock Horses entered the stadium performing a 'musical ride' with many intricate steps, to the music of Bruce Rowland who composed a special Olympic version of the main theme which he had composed for the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River. Each rider held a flag with the Olympic Rings coloured turquoise. One of the configurations formed the five Olympic Rings. A giant banner painted by Sydney artist Ken Done was unfurled, depicting the Sydney Harbour Bridge in bright colours, saying "G'Day" to the world.

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The Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce, the Prime Minister Kim Beazley and the President of the IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch, arrived after a jazz fanfare was performed by James Morrison and Swing City, his brother's Big Band. The Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair, was then sung by both Human Nature and Julie Anthony, accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Simone Young. The Stock Horse riders still on the field then swapped their Olympic flags for Australian flags before riding out of the stadium.

Verse 1 (Sung by Human Nature as A cappella)
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Verse 2 (Sung by Julie Anthony with orchestra)
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Verse 1 Reprise (all voices)

Deep Sea Dreaming would be the next segment. This segment celebrated Australia's affinity with the sea with the stadium floor being turned into a beach setting. The hero girl, Nikki Webster, arrived in beachwear and basks in the light. She seemed to fall asleep on the beach and drift off into a dream. The performers represented the sea and the various aquatic fauna appear and move around the arena floor. The hero girl was then hoisted up in the air by overhead wires and swam with the sea creatures. Other swimmers were also present, being coached (on a large screen) by Australian swimming coach Laurie Lawrence. This was a tribute to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

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The Awakening segment would follow. The Awakening segment celebrated Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, which was claimed at the time to date back over 60,000 years. A special welcome was made to countries competing at the Games. A Yolngu elder and songman, Djakapurra Munyarryun, guided the girl through the indigenous ceremonies of connections to the land and the protocols for welcoming others to indigenous land. The segment featured Indigenous Australians from the Central Desert, the Numbulwar, Yirrkala, Ramingining and Manningrida peoples of Arnhem Land, Torres Strait Islanders, and the Koorie clan of NSW. The segment ended when the Wandjina-ancestral spirit appears (in the form of a 32-metre diameter cloth in the style of rock portrait) roaring and flinging a lightning bolt to ignite a bushfire.

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The Fire and Nature segment showcased the Australian outback, wildlife and flora. It began with various fire performers (jugglers, breathers) moving across the stadium floor, symbolising the advance of a bushfire. In the aftermath, performers representing the flora stir as the land is replenished with water and life. The stadium floor is filled with performers dressed in costumes representing various flowers including Australia's distinctive wild flowers such as the Golden Wattle (Australia's national flower), the Waratah (State flower of NSW), the Sturt's Desert Pea, Water Lilies and Eucalypt flowers. The fauna, which were represented by seven large paintings by Ngemba artist Jeffrey Sammuels, were then revealed, depicting the Indigenous animal life in Australia. The flowers once more were illuminated before moving out of the stadium.

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In the Tin Symphony segment, cases of the European settlement in Australia were shown, and the development of Australia into a rural and civic country. The segment began with the arrival of Captain James Cook, with naturalist Joseph Banks and crew, with bicycles to represent his ship, HM Bark Endeavour, during Captain Cook's exploration of the Australian east coast. A caged fake rabbit was shown aboard the ship. The performer acting as Captain Cook lit a firework mark the start of the segment.

Tin Symphony Part 1— The music, co-written and co-produced by Ian Cooper and John Frohlich, includes an Irish jig montaged with drums, bush sounds and voice. A multitude of performers dress as the iconic Australian bushranger Ned Kelly (with costumes based on Sir Sidney Nolan's series of Ned Kelly paintings) then appear onto the stadium floor, with other symbolic items of the outback such as corrugated iron and storm water tanks present. A mechanical horse like vehicle was present which then changed into a wind mill. Cultural items such as woodcutting and whip cracking were showcased. Irish dancers present in this section danced on the corrugated iron sheets, with umbrellas made up to look like giant cogs and wheels to represent the industrial growth of Australia.

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Tin Symphony Part 2— The tempo changes as Australia's rural aspects were introduced. In the middle of the stadium floor, a shed was constructed from the corrugated iron sheets. Out of the shed comes a unique representation of sheep, an important livestock. The sheep were represented by performers in cardboard boxes, that move along with the music. Australian suburbia is then represented as the performers emerged from the cardboard boxes with simulations of Victa lawn mowers to form the Olympics Rings. The giant mechanical horse then made another appearance, before the hero girl gave an apple to it. At the end of the segment, the mechanical horse neighed to signify the conclusion.

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The Arrivals segment of the ceremony celebrated Australia's multiculturalism and its migrant culture, with a float and costumes symbolising each continent. First, migrants from the African continent, danced into the stadium wearing black costumes. They were followed by dancers in yellow symbolising the arrival of Asian migrants into Australia, led by two yellow Chinese Lion dancers. European migrants were introduced by the colour green, further adding to the growing party on the stadium floor. The music changed again and a splash of red symbolising the arrival of migrants from the Americas was introduced into the stadium. Finally, performers representing migrants from the various Pacific Islands, with an emphasis on New Zealand came into the stadium in vivid blue costumes. The five floats manoeuvred into position to represent their respective coloured rings of the Olympic flag. By the crescendo of the segment, four of the floats (Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific Islands) surround the African float as the performers from all the represented continents rushed out from the middle to form the Australian continent.

The performers stood with arms out reached towards the audience, forming the coastline of Australia and thus symbolising Australia's welcoming arms to people from all over the world. Then many children dressed in the Olympic colours flooded into the arena and formed a solid shape of Australia, as the performers from the sequence before left the performance floor. Webster then performed the song Under Southern Skies with five people representing each continent standing with her, as the children formed a large representation of the Southern Cross constellation with their lanterns.

The next segment began with Adam Garcia standing on the central float in the middle of the stadium floor. He began his performance by tap dancing and inviting more performers onto the stadium. More dancers filed onto the stands where the audience was sitting who also joined in with performance. Several cherry picker cranes in the centre with the floats began to slowly rise up with the crescendo of the music. The dancers symbolised the workers building a new Australia for the future. The dancers in the stands rushed out onto the stadium floor to join their fellow dancers. Some of the dancers held square sheets of steel that they both danced on and held in their hands to reflect light out as they danced. By the finale of this segment, large steel frames rose from each float to form a tall structure. In the middle were the hero girl and the Aboriginal songman, who looked wondrously out into the audience, surveying the workers. Then as the close of the presentation approached, the performers from the other segments all came out and joined in with those already dancing. A large representation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge composed of sparklers was set off in the middle of the stadium with the word "Eternity" shown in the middle of the bridge. This segment was inspired by the then popular theatrical show Tap Dogs, and the soon to be released movie, Bootmen. Peewee Ferris's remix of the music was played as the performers slowly moved their way out of the stadium.

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A massed marching band of 2,000 musicians performed a melody of Australian and international classics, and previous Olympic themes. It included "Also Sprach Zarathustra", "Chariots of Fire", "Ode to Joy", "Bugler's Dream", "Waltzing Matilda", and John Williams "Olympic Fanfare & Theme". The band consisted of 1,000 Australian musicians, with the remaining 1,000 musicians being from other countries around the world. The massed band was so large that six conductors were required for the segment. The band members wore Driza-Bone riding coats which had been especially modified for the band members. The band was one of the few live sound creations of the night.

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Once the Sydney 2000 Olympic Band made their introduction, they took their place in front of the ceremony stage, and volunteers came out to begin the Parade of Nations. Twenty eight of the larger nations entered under a music piece of their country played by the Marching Band (e.g. Land of Hope and Glory was played for Great Britain, Born in the USA/Stars and Stripes Forever for the United States, Down Under/Waltzing Matilda for Australia, Mexican Hat Dance for Mexico, The Winner Takes It All by ABBA for Sweden, The Maple Leaf Forever for Canada), while smaller countries entered in with various Olympic Anthems, Percussion Cadences, and The Warriors as a nod to Australian wind band composer Percy Grainger. As is Olympic tradition, host nation Australia entered last. Athletes from Palestine marched directly in the opening ceremonies as Individual Olympic Athletes before the host nation. Without the existence of the National Olympic Committee, they were allowed to compete under the Olympic flag.

Angola would enter the stadium first....

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followed by Canada.

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followed by the People's Republic of China.

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followed by Great Britain.

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followed by Hong Kong, China.

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followed by Israel.

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followed by Macau.

followed by Mexico.

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followed by the Netherlands.

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followed by Poland.

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followed by the Russian Federation.

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followed by Sweden.

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followed by Thailand.

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followed by the United States of America. The crowd would roar.

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followed by the Olympic Athletes from Palestine.

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And finally, last but not least, Australia. The crowd would go absolutely mental. The Prime Minister and Governor-General would stand up and wave, along with most of the crowd who would begin chanting.

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Once the crowd was settled, the formalities would return. Veteran pop artists John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John walked among the Olympic competitors and performed the theme song Dare to Dream, which was written especially for the occasion by award-winning songwriters Paul Begaud, Vanessa Corish and Wayne Tester. Begaud and Corish were regular songwriting collaborators both born and raised in Sydney.

After a brief fanfare by David Stanhope, the President of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG), Michael Knight made the opening address.

"Tonight we welcome the world's greatest athletes - and their supporters - to Sydney, Australia. The enthusiastic reception from the crowd here tonight expresses, more eloquently than any words, the feelings that Australians have for the athletes of the world. Of course the crowd cheered loudest for the home team, as it will in the sporting competition. But there is room in our hearts to support all of you - wherever you have come from. Australians love sport and we admire outstanding skill and courage. We honour your sacrifice and struggle, dedication and commitment. That is why from the first days of the bid we promised to put the needs of the athletes first. You are the stars of the show. If the organizing team I lead do our job well then you should not hear of us in the next 16 days. The Games belong to the athletes, tonight belongs to the athletes. This is your time - enjoy it. And now I invite the President of the IOC, Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch, to join me."

This was followed by an opening address by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

"G'day Sydney! G'day Australia! Yes, the Olympic Games are back Down Under! Tonight we are gathered together to celebrate the Games of the new millennium, the athletes' Games, a unique tradition that can trace its origins back over 2,500 years to ancient Olympia. Welcome to the athletes of the world! Welcome to 28 International Sports Federations and 199 National Olympic Committees! Our gratitude goes: • to the people and government of Australia, New South Wales, Sydney and all other communities involved, for their friendly welcome and hospitality; to Sydney 2000 for the excellent preparation of the Games; to the Australian Olympic Committee for its dedication to Olympism; to the thousands of volunteers for their exceptional services. You have made the Games possible. Thank you. to the mass media for their contribution to presenting the Games to the world; and to our partners and sponsors for their support and their belief in the Olympic ideal; to all of you, sport-loving spectators here and television viewers around the world. Buenos dias, Espana. Finally I would like to express our respect for all those who have made Australia what it is today - a great country, with a special tribute to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Olympic Games are unique and of universal character. They unify man of all origins and creed. The contribution of sport to the understanding and unity of our society is extraordinary. Sport and the Olympic Movement are also an essential part of education, which is the real wealth of any country. The entire Olympic Movement would like to pay tribute to Greece, birthplace of Olympism, where the tradition goes back over 25 centuries. We would also like to honour the memory of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games. To all athletes of the world, good luck! Thank you to Dawn Fraser for being with me. I now have the honour of inviting the Governor General of Australia to proclaim the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, the first Games of the new millennium, open."

The event was officially opened by Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce. This was the first occasion that a Summer Olympics held in a Commonwealth realm was not opened by the monarch or a member of the Royal Family, although it was the second overall, behind the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Then 19-year-old pop star Vanessa Amorosi sang Heroes Live Forever to signify the legacy left by sports stars all over the world. The song was composed by John Gillard and Trevor White. During the song, an enormous white flag the size of the stadium field was passed over the audience on the southern stand and was brought down over the crowd by volunteers. Whilst this happened, images of past sports legends were displayed on the flag. When the flag reached the athletes, a Dove of Peace was projected, followed by the Olympic Rings. The Olympic Flag was then carried around the arena by eight former Australian Olympic champions: Bill Roycroft, Murray Rose, Liane Tooth, Gillian Rolton, Marjorie Jackson, Lorraine Crapp, Michael Wenden and Nick Green. It was then handed over to eight Australia's Federation Guard members, who carried and raised the flag. During the raising of the Olympic flag, the Olympic Hymn was sung in Greek by the Millennium Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, signifying the large Greek population of Australia. The Olympic Oaths were taken by then captain of the Australian Women's Hockey Team Rechelle Hawkes on behalf of the athletes, and by Australian Water Polo Referee Peter Kerr on behalf of the officials.

For the first time in recent Olympic history, the opening ceremony concluded with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Tina Arena, the Sydney Children's Choir and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed The Flame, while showing archive footage of some highlights of the torch relay on the large screens, then cutting to live footage outside the stadium of Australian Olympic Gold Medalist Herb Elliott with the torch.

Then, celebrating 100 years of women's participation in the Olympics, former Australian women Olympic champions and medalists: Betty Cuthbert and Raelene Boyle, Dawn Fraser, Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Shane Gould and Debbie Flintoff-King brought the torch through the stadium, before handing it over to Cathy Freeman. Freeman then climbed a long set of stairs towards a circular pool of water. She walked into the middle of the water and ignited the cauldron around her feet in a ring of fire. The cauldron then rose out from the water, above Freeman's head, and then was transported up a long waterfall, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal above the stadium as the ceremony concluded with a fireworks display.

The planned climax to the ceremony was delayed by a technical glitch of a malfunctioned limit switch, which also severed the communications cable to override the program. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up the waterfall to the top of the stadium.

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This was followed by the concluding fireworks.

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[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 16):

Swimming - Men's 400 metre freestyle:
1. Mexico
2. Angola
3. Australia

Australia's own Ian Thorpe would secure the host nation's first medal of the game, a bronze.

Swimming - Men's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay:
1. Israel
2. Sweden
3. The Netherlands

Swimming - Women's 400 metre individual medley:
1. Australia
2. Sweden
3. Thailand

Australia's own Jennifer Reilly would secure the host nation's first gold medal of the games.

Swimming - Women's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay:
1. China
2. Sweden
3. Great Britain

Track Cycling - Men's track time trial:
1. The Netherlands
2. Great Britain
3. Sweden

Track Cycling - Women's track time trial:
1. Israel
2. The Netherlands
3. Canada

Fencing - Men's épée:
1. Russia
2. Angola
3. Sweden

Judo - Men's 60kg:
1. Australia
2. Olympic Athletes from Palestine
3. Israel
3. China

Judo - Women's 48kg:
1. United States
2. Angola
3. United States
3. United States

Shooting - Men's 10 metre air pistol:
1. Australia
2. Israel
3. Israel

Shooting - Women's 10 metre air rifle:
1. Angola
2. United States
3. United States

Triathlon - Women's individual:
1. Angola
2. Poland
3. Canada

The Women's Triathlon would take place on Sydney Harbour in front of the Sydney Opera House, each competitor starts the event with a 1500-metre swim course, followed by a 40 kilometre road bicycle race and finish with a 10 kilometre road run.

​

Weightlifting - Men's 56kg:
1. Mexico
2. Thailand
3. Thailand

Event Competition Events (winners in bold, can only get a score generator for Football) (September 16):

Football - Men's Group A:

Poland 2 - 0 United States

Israel 2 - 0 The Netherlands

Football - Men's Group C:

Hong Kong 0 - 1 Australia

Sweden 1 - 0 Canada

Football - Women's Group D:

Macau 0 - 2 Olympic Athletes from Palestine

Poland 0 - 1 Sweden

Football - Women's Group F:

Angola 1 - 0 Australia

Great Britain 2 - 0 The Netherlands

Handball - Men's Group A:

Great Britain - Australia

Poland - Canada

Handball - Men's Group B:

The Netherlands - Angola

United States - China

Indoor Volleyball - Women's Pool A:

Thailand - The Netherlands

Hong Kong - Great Britain

Russia - China

Indoor Volleyball - Women's Pool B:

Angola - Sweden

Canada - Australia

Poland - United States

Field Hockey - Men's Pool A:

Macau - The Netherlands

Field Hockey - Men's Pool B:

United States - Sweden

Field Hockey - Women's Pool A:

The Netherlands - Australia

Field Hockey - Women's Pool B:

Great Britain - Macau

Water Polo - Women's Group A:

Angola - Great Britain

Canada - United States

Australia - Poland

Water Polo - Women's Group B:

The Netherlands - Israel

Hong Kong - Russia

China - Sweden

Basketball - Women's Group A:

Great Britain - China

Poland - Russia

United States - Canada

Basketball - Women's Group B:

The Netherlands - Angola

Hong Kong - Macau

Sweden - Australia

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 17):

Swimming - Men's 100 metre breaststroke:
1. Israel
2. The Netherlands
3. The Netherlands

Swimming - Men's 400 metre individual medley:
1. Israel
2. Poland
3. Great Britain

Swimming - Women's 400 metre freestyle:
1. Sweden
2. Angola
3. Sweden

Swimming - Women's 100 metre butterfly:
1. China
2. Poland
3. The Netherlands

Track Cycling - Men's individual pursuit:
1. Russia
2. Israel
3. China

Track Cycling - Men's team sprint:
1. Mexico
2. Australia
3. The Netherlands

Fencing - Women's épée:
1. United States
2. Hong Kong
3. Great Britain

Judo - Men's 66kg:
1. Russia
2. Russia
3. China
3. Angola

Judo - Women's 52kg:
1. Mexico
2. Hong Kong
3. China
3. Israel

Shooting - Men's trap:
1. Mexico
2. United States
3. Great Britain

Shooting - Women's 10 metre air pistol:
1. Russia
2. Thailand
3. Australia

Triathlon - Men's individual:
1. United States
2. Poland
3. Sweden

The Men's Triathlon would take place on Sydney Harbour in front of the Sydney Opera House, each competitor starts the event with a 1500-metre swim course, followed by a 40 kilometre road bicycle race and finish with a 10 kilometre road run.

​

Weightlifting - Men's 62kg:
1. China
2. Angola
3. Israel

Weightlifting - Women's 48kg:
1. United States
2. Russia
3. Olympic Athletes from Palestine

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 18):

Swimming - Men's 200 metre freestyle:
1. Great Britain
2. Mexico
3. China

Swimming - Men's 100 metre backstroke:
1. Poland
2. China
3. Mexico

Swimming - Women's 100 metre backstroke:
1. Sweden
2. China
3. Australia

Swimming - Women's 100 metre breaststroke:
1. United States
2. Canada
3. Thailand

Slalom Canoeing - Men's C-1:
1. United States
2. Australia
3. Russia

Slalom Canoeing - Women's K-1:
1. Australia
2. Great Britain
3. The Netherlands

Track Cycling - Women's individual pursuit:
1. The Netherlands
2. Great Britain
3. China

Fencing - Men's team épée:
1. Great Britain
2. China
3. Hong Kong

Artistic Gymnastics - Men's team all-around:
1. Israel
2. Great Britain
3. Angola

Judo - Men's 73kg:
1. United States
2. Israel
3. Hong Kong
3. The Netherlands

Judo - Women's 57kg:
1. Sweden
2. Israel
3. Thailand
3. Israel

Shooting - Men's 10 metre air rifle:
1. United States
2. Mexico
3. Thailand

Shooting - Women's trap:
1. Sweden
2. Israel
3. United States

Weightlifting - Women's 53kg:
1. Mexico
2. Thailand
3. Israel

Weightlifting - Women's 58kg:
1. Angola
2. Canada
3. Russia

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 19):

Swimming - Men's 200 metre butterfly:
1. Hong Kong
2. Great Britain
3. Thailand

Swimming - Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay:
1. United States
2. Poland
3. Hong Kong

Swimming - Women's 200 metre freestyle:
1. Poland
2. Great Britain
3. The Netherlands

Swimming - Women's 200 metre individual medley:
1. Great Britain
2. Great Britain
3. Mexico

Archery - Women's individual:
1. Australia
2. The Netherlands
3. Angola

Track Cycling - Men's team pursuit:
1. Angola
2. Great Britain
3. Sweden

Fencing - Women's team épée:
1. Sweden
2. Hong Kong
3. China

Equestrian - Team eventing:
1. The Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Hong Kong

Artistic Gymnastics - Women's team all-around:
1. Israel
2. Angola
3. Poland

Judo - Men's 81kg:
1. United States
2. The Netherlands
3. China
3. Israel

Judo - Women's 63kg:
1. China
2. Sweden
3. Israel
3. Israel

Shooting - Men's 50 metre pistol:
1. Angola
2. Canada
3. United States

Shooting - Women's double trap:
1. Canada
2. United States
3. Mexico

Weightlifting - Women's 63kg:
1. United States
2. Angola
3. Thailand

Weightlifting - Women's 69kg:
1. China
2. Angola
3. Mexico

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 20):

Swimming - Men's 100 metre freestyle:
1. United States
2. Sweden
3. The Netherlands

Swimming - Men's 200 metre breaststroke:
1. Sweden
2. China
3. Sweden

Swimming - Women's 200 metre butterfly:
1. Mexico
2. Thailand
3. Sweden

Swimming - Women's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay:
1. The Netherlands
2. Great Britain
3. United States

Archery - Men's individual:
1. Great Britain
2. Angola
3. United States

Badminton - Men's doubles:
1. Angola
2. Thailand
3. Israel

Badminton - Women's doubles:
1. Thailand
2. Thailand
3. Russia

Slalom Canoeing - Men's C-2:
1. Australia
2. Poland
3. The Netherlands

Slalom Canoeing - Men's K-1:
1. Sweden
2. Russia
3. United States

Track Cycling - Men's point race:
1. Angola
2. Great Britain
3. Angola

Track Cycling - Men's sprint:
1. Israel
2. The Netherlands
3. China

Track Cycling - Women's sprint:
1. The Netherlands
2. Angola
3. Australia

Fencing - Men's foil:
1. Hong Kong
2. China
3. Great Britain

Artistic Gymnastics - Men's individual all-around:
1. United States
2. Poland
3. Sweden

Judo - Men's 90kg:
1. Israel
2. Israel
3. Thailand
3. Australia

Judo - Women's 70kg:
1. China
2. United States
3. Poland
3. China

Shooting - Men's double trap:
1. United States
2. United States
3. Canada

Shooting - Women's 50 metre rifle three positions:
1. China
2. China
3. United States

Weightlifting - Men's 69kg:
1. Israel
2. Thailand
3. United States

Weightlifting - Women's 75kg:
1. China
2. Russia
3. United States

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 21):

Swimming - Men's 200 metre backstroke:
1. The Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Sweden

Swimming - Men's 200 metre individual medley:
1. Poland
2. Sweden
3. Poland

Swimming - Women's 100 metre freestyle:
1. Australia
2. Australia
3. Russia

Swimming - Women's 200 metre breaststroke:
1. China
2. China
3. China

Archery - Women's team:
1. The Netherlands
2. Mexico
3. Angola

Badminton - Mixed doubles:
1. Angola
2. Thailand
3. Thailand

Track Cycling - Men's Madison:
1. Hong Kong
2. United States
3. Mexico

Track Cycling - Men's Keirin:
1. United States
2. Angola
3. Australia

Track Cycling - Women's points race:
1. United States
2. Canada
3. Israel

Fencing - Men's sabre:
1. Sweden
2. Sweden
3. Hong Kong

Fencing - Women's foil:
1. United States
2. Hong Kong
3. Great Britain

Artistic Gymnastics - Women's individual all-around:
1. Poland
2. Australia
3. United States

Judo - Men's 100kg:
1. Hong Kong
2. Israel
3. Great Britain
3. Poland

Judo - Women's 78kg:
1. Israel
2. United States
3. Australia
3. Thailand

Shooting - Men's 50 metre rifle prone:
1. Russia
2. Mexico
3. Angola

Shooting - Men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol:
1. Thailand
2. Poland
3. Israel

Shooting - Women's skeet:
1. Angola
2. Poland
3. Israel

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 22):

Swimming - Men's 50 metre freestyle:
1. Sweden
2. Australia
3. Sweden

Swimming - Men's 100 metre butterfly:
1. The Netherlands
2. Poland
3. Sweden

Swimming - Women's 800 metre freestyle:
1. Sweden
2. Russia
3. United States

Swimming - Women's 200 metre backstroke:
1. Canada
2. The Netherlands
3. United States

Archery - Men's team:
1. Canada
2. China
3. The Netherlands

Athletics - Men's shot put:
1. Canada
2. United States
3. Russia

Athletics - Men's 20 kilometres walk:
1. Thailand
2. Poland
3. Great Britain

Badminton - Men's singles:
1. Sweden
2. Thailand
3. Thailand

Badminton - Women's singles:
1. Thailand
2. Israel
3. Thailand

Equestrian - Individual eventing:
1. Mexico
2. The Netherlands
3. Australia

Fencing - Men's team foil:
1. Sweden
2. Australia
3. United States

Trampolining Gymnastics - Women's individual:
1. Angola
2. Israel
3. Canada

Judo - Men's +100kg:
1. United States
2. Russia
3. Israel
3. Israel

Judo - Women's +78kg:
1. Macau
2. Australia
3. United States
3. Mexico

Shooting - Men's 10 metre running target:
1. United States
2. Mexico
3. United States

Shooting - Women's 25 metre pistol:
1. Angola
2. United States
3. Great Britain

Table Tennis - Women's doubles:
1. Canada
2. Macau
3. Hong Kong

Weightlifting - Men's 77kg:
1. Mexico
2. Russia
3. Angola

Weightlifting - Women's +75kg:
1. United States
2. Israel
3. Angola

 

[Owen]

Gold Medal Events (September 23):

Swimming - Men's 1500 metre freestyle:
1. Australia
2. China
3. Thailand

Swimming - Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay:
1. Angola
2. Australia
3. China

Swimming - Women's 50 metre freestyle:
1. Israel
2. Sweden
3. Great Britain

Swimming - Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relay:
1. China
2. Sweden
3. United States

Diving - Men's synchronised 10 metre platform:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. China

Diving - Women's synchronised 3 metre springboard:
1. Poland
2. The Netherlands
3. United States

Water Polo - Women's tournament (see below):
1. Israel
2. Poland
3. Russia

Athletics - Men's 100 metres:
1. China
2. Thailand
3. Sweden

Athletics - Men's javelin throw:
1. Angola
2. Australia
3. Israel

Athletics - Women's 100 metres:
1. Poland
2. Sweden
3. Sweden

Mountain Biking - Women's cross-country:
1. The Netherlands
2. Poland
3. Israel

Fencing - Women's team foil:
1. Russia
2. Hong Kong
3. Canada

Trampolining Gymnastics - Men's individual:
1. Canada
2. Angola
3. Israel

Rowing - Men's single sculls:
1. Canada
2. Great Britain
3. China

Rowing - Men's double sculls:
1. Sweden
2. Canada
3. Mexico

Rowing - Men's quadruple sculls:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Poland

Rowing - Men's coxless pair:
1. Russia
2. Poland
3. United States

Rowing - Men's coxless four:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. China

Rowing - Women's single sculls:
1. Australia
2. China
3. United States

Rowing - Women's double sculls:
1. United States
2. Mexico
3. Canada

Shooting - Men's skeet:
1. Poland
2. Angola
3. Canada

Shooting - Men's 50 metre rifle three positions:
1. Israel
2. Thailand
3. United States

Table Tennis - Men's doubles:
1. China
2. Hong Kong
3. Thailand

Weightlifting - Men's 85kg:
1. Australia
2. Israel
3. Thailand

=======================================================
WOMEN'S WATER POLO RESULTS:

Water Polo - Women's Group A (September 16):

Angola - Great Britain

Canada - United States

Australia - Poland

Water Polo - Women's Group B (September 16):

The Netherlands - Israel

Hong Kong - Russia

China - Sweden

Water Polo - Women's Group A (September 17):

Canada - Great Britain

Australia - United States

Angola - Poland

Water Polo - Women's Group B (September 17):

The Netherlands - Hong Kong

Russia - China

Sweden - Israel

Water Polo - Women's Group A (September 18):

Great Britain - United States

Canada - Poland

Australia - Angola

Water Polo - Women's Group B (September 18):

Russia - The Netherlands

Hong Kong - Sweden

China - Israel

Water Polo - Women's Group A (September 19):

Canada - Angola

Poland - United States

Great Britain - Australia

Water Polo - Women's Group B (September 19):

Russia - Sweden

Hong Kong - Israel

The Netherlands - China

Water Polo - Women's Group A (September 20):

Canada - Australia

Poland - Great Britain

Angola - United States

Water Polo - Women's Group B (September 20):

Hong Kong - China

Israel - Russia

The Netherlands - Sweden

Final Rankings after Group Stage:

Group A:	Group B:
Poland Great Britain Canada Angola Australia United States	Israel Russia China The Netherlands Sweden Hong Kong

Water Polo - Quarter-Final 1 (September 21):

Poland - The Netherlands

Water Polo - Quarter-Final 2 (September 21):

Canada - Russia

Water Polo - Quarter-Final 3 (September 21):

Great Britain - China

Water Polo - Quarter-Final 4 (September 21):

Angola - Israel

Water Polo - Semi-Final 1 (September 22):

Russia - Poland

Water Polo - Semi-Final 2 (September 22):

China - Israel

Water Polo - Bronze Medal Match (September 23):

Russia - China

Water Polo - Final (September 23):

Poland - Israel

 

[Joe]

The Kingdom of Italy would request permission to submit a swift and emergency application in order to have their athletes compete in the remaining events.