The Games
Everybody agreed that the 28th Olympic Games were one of the most successful in history. Economic success was combined with moderate commercialization, compared to previous ones, while there were excellent athletic performances.
At the same time, regarding infrastructure, large amounts of money were spent for the construction of modern athletic facilities, the Olympic Village and all other infrastructure works necessary for the organization of the greatest athletic event of modern times. The Athens Olympic Games lasted from the 13th to the 29th of August and were watched by millions of spectators, both in the stadiums and through satellite transmission. To be precise, 3.9 billion spectators watched them, a number significantly greater than the 3.6 billion spectators of Sidney.
Two national teams participated for the first time in the Athens Olympic Games from the countries of Kiribati and Timor Leste, even though their athletes had participated previously independently. In addition, for the first time women's wrestling was included in the programme of the Games. An emotional moment was the shot put event at the stadium of ancient Olympia (where the Olympic Games were conducted during the antiquity) and the archery at the Panathenaic Stadium (where the Games were conducted for the first time after their revival in 1896).
The Athens Olympic Games had many surprises regarding athletic performance. In swimming Michael Phelps won six gold medals, while the runner Hicham El Guerrouj won the gold medal in the 1500 and 5000-metre races. Kelly Holmes won gold medals in the 800 and 1500-metre races. Regarding team events, the Argentinean football team impressed everyone by winning the tournament without conceding even one goal, while the USA softball team won the final match with 51-1.
However, besides the competitive level, what mainly characterized the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 was the fact that the whole city celebrated not only during the events, but also throughout the day. The various events that took place during the Games gave a different tone to the organization. Artistic interventions, music happenings and various other cultural events combined with the presence of a lot of visitors during that period complimented the sport events.
It would be an omission if we did not mention at this point the important contribution of the volunteers, who, offering their services in almost every activity ensured the success of the Games. The volunteers' network has been composed several months before the opening of the Olympic Games. They were trained, depending on their qualifications and interests, for the posts where they would be of service and they proved capable of helping significantly the smooth organization of the Olympiad.