As the sucessful Paris 2024 Olympic Games closing ceremony concluded on Sunday 11th August 2024, let us fondly remember the 20th Anniversary of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games opening ceremony, held on Friday 13th August 2004.  Fireworks lit up the sky as over 10,600 athletes representing 201 countries marched in front of 70,000 spectators during the opening ceremony.  The Olympic Games had returned to their spiritual home in Greece, with an opening that brought the myths of Ancient Greece back to life through the magic of 21st century technology.  The ceremony, which was praised by the international press, featured technologies that had never been employed before in any global stadium or previous opening ceremony, including a giant pool that could be emptied in three minutes.

The opening ceremony of the XXVIII Olympiad was held in the new Olympic stadium in Athens beginning with the 'heatbeat' of 400 drums, accompanied by a battery of 50 bouzouki players performing the zeimbekiko.  Two drummers, one inside the stadium and the other one projected on the stadium screen from the original stadium of Ancient Olympia, the place of the Olympic Games of antiquity, play out a duet before a blazing comet, seemingly coming from the ancient stadium of Olympia, lands on the flooded stadium drawing with its fire the flaming Olympic Rings.  As the musicians disperse, a young Greek boy sails into the stadium on a giant paper boat, symbolising Greece's maritime tradition and its close connection to the sea.  The Hellenic Naval Band then walk into the stadium, staying to perform the Presidential fanfare, before 'Hymn to Liberty', the Greek national anthem was performed. 

Completey innovative lighting, and an ingenious staging system utilizing a complex network of automated cables that lifted, maneuvered and choreographed floating pieces of sculpture to move in synchronization with the music and narrative of the opening ceremony were also part of the spectacle.  The ceremony features an 'artistic section' that showcased Greece's history to the world.  The artistic section illustrated the culture of both ancient and modern Greece, combining them in a two-part drama that explored the resonance of ancient ideas on Greece's remarkable present, observing the parade from above was a 'hovering' Eros.

The artistic sections were called 'Allegory' and 'Clepsydra' meaning 'Hourglass'.  The 'Allegory' section featured a poem by the Nobel prize winning Greek poet George Seferis, titled 'Mythistorema 3'.  It was a surreal performance that featured centaures, Cycladic art and Archaic period architecture.  The second section, 'Clepsydra', connected ancient Greek civilization to the foundations of human life and existance.  The sequence displayed images from the Minoan, Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic and Byzantine art through to the 19th century Greek Revolution, the very first 1896 Olympiad of the modern era in Athens, through to 20th century life in Greece.  The final section highlights a pregnant woman who represents the source of life, humanity and history.

Despite doubters around the world, the team from Jack Morton Worldwide produced an artistic Olympic opening ceremony that drew international raves.  The team of 435 and its army of volunteers performed under extreme scrutiny.  Working in Greece for two years, they were very conscious of how the media and the world were perceiving Greece, and it wasn’t good news that was coming out.  Having worked on the massive project, they understood as to where that perception came from, but in those three and a half hours, that perception was transformed.  The next morning, the world media all said it was the best opening ceremony ever, and the Olympics were home.  Greece had completely surpassed the world’s expectations.

A new analysis report in 2024 found that the Athens 2004 Olympics take the gold medal for the number of volunteers who offered their valuable time in support of the event.  One in every 69 Greek citizens (1.45% of the population) offered to volunteer during the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens.  This was the highest participation rate recorded for host cities, including Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris.  Ultimately, over 45,000 individuals were selected from 160,000 applicants for volunteer service during the Athens 2004 Olympics, where the Games and the ancient Olympic spirit had 'come home' to Greece.  

Volunteer support results -  Gold medal: Greece    Silver medal: France    Bronze medal: Australia    Fourth place: United Kingdom.