| Date | July 19, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Time | 20:30–00:30 EDT (UTC−4) (4 hours) |
| Venue | Centennial Olympic Stadium |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°44′08″N 84°23′22″W / 33.73556°N 84.38944°W |
| Also known as | The Centennial Games |
| Filmed by | Atlanta Olympic Broadcasting (AOB)[1] |
| Footage | Atlanta 1996 Opening Ceremony on YouTube |
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| Part of a series on |
| 1996 Summer Olympics |
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The opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics took place in the evening on Friday, July 19 at the Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, United States. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sporting event, including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes, with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture and history. The Games were officially opened by President of the United States of America Bill Clinton.
The Olympic cauldron was lit by former gold medalist and boxing champion Muhammad Ali.[2] The ceremony featured film composer John Williams, French Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer Gladys Knight. The ceremony attendance was 85,600.[3]
The ceremony was produced and directed by Don Mischer.[4] It was watched by an estimated 3.5 billion viewers worldwide,[2] being the most watched TV event until 2022, when it was dethroned by the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.[5]
- ^ "Atlanta (1996 - The Olympic Centennial". WXIA-TVInternational Telecommunication Union).
- ^ a b Hajeski, Nancy J. (2013). Ali: The Official Portrait of "The Greatest" of All Time. Simon and Schuster. p. 293. ISBN 9781607109839. - “Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic Flame at Atlanta 1996” (Olympics - YouTube)
- ^ "Bryan Pinkall's World of Opera, Olympics, and More: 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony (Entire ceremony)". 23 July 2012.
- ^ "L.A. Firm Will Create Shows for '96 Olympics". Los Angeles Times. 1993-11-08. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ Queen Elizabeth's Funeral Is World's Most Watched TV Event, retrieved 2022-10-18