Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games 2004

(Athens, Attica, Greece)

Athens 2004 Olympic Games - August 13th to 29th, 2004

The 2004 Olympic Games returned to Athens where they originated over 100 years ago. This prestigious, world-wide event included more than 10,000 of the world's best athletes from around 200 different countries, all competing in over 300 different competitions.

The 2004 Athens Olympic Games was watched by a staggering television audience of more than one billion.



Athens was chosen as the host for the 2004 Olympic Games in September 1997 and since then preparations have been well underway. Before the games begin, Athens will undergo and enormous amount of changes in preparation for the event. Projects worth millions of euros are well underway and the overall budget for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games is many billions of euros. This includes much building work, with face-lifts on existing buildings and literally millions of large plants, trees and shrubs will be planted to make Athens more green.

The 2004 Athens Olympic Games will take place in more than 30 different venues in and around the city to accommodate every sport, making these Olympic Games truly unforgettable. Most of the Olympic events will be held in the two main venues, the Athens Olympic Sports Complex and the Faliron Coastal Zone. The Olympic Village is close to the main Athens Olympic Sports Complex, at the base of Mount Parnitha, and is where all of the athletes will stay during the games.

The sports at the Athens Olympic Games were:

• aquatics (diving, swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo)
• archery
• badminton
• baseball
• basketball
• boxing
• canoe-kayak
• cycling
• equestrian
• fencing
• field hockey
• gymnastics
• handball
• judo
• modern pentathlon
• rowing
• sailing
• shooting
• softball
• soccer
• table tennis
• taekwondo
• tennis
• track and field
• triathlon
• volleyball
• weightlifting
• wrestling

Athens 2004 Paralympic Games - September 17th-28th, 2004

The Athens 2004 Paralympic Games are held after the Olympic Games and the world's best Paralympic athletes will be competing for an Olympic gold medal in the games. There will be around 4,000 Paralympic athletes, from 130 countries at the competition. The Paralympics are a popular event and are held for handicapped and physically challenged people and are one of the most inspiring sporting events in the world.