The Olympic Opening Ceremony was held in Sydney, Australia on
September 15, 2000. It was an international event and the whole world
was watching! The event was held in a stadium designed to seat a
large group of people.
The athletes entered the stadium in a specific order. The athletes
from Greece entered first in honor of the original Olympics held
in Greece. Then, the other athletes followed by nation in the
alphabetical order of the host country’s language. The host
country’s athletes came last. So for this Olympics, the athletes
from Australia entered the stadium last.
The chief of state of the host country declared the games open, followed
by the raising of the Olympic Flag. Music was played and fireworks
were set off in salute. Then, doves were released into the air as a symbol of
peace.
Runners in cross-country relays brought in the Olympic
torch. The running of the torch began four weeks before the
Olympic ceremony and thousands of runners took part in this.
Planes and ships transported the Olympic torch to each country
that lies between Greece and the host country.
The most exciting moment of the Olympic ceremony was when the torch
entered the stadium and lit the Olympic Flame. The Flame was kept
burning until the end of the Olympic games.