2004 Summer Olympics

Games of the XXVIII Olympiad

Emblem of the 2004 Summer Olympics[a]
Host city	Athens, Greece
Motto	Welcome Home (Greek: Καλώς ήρθατε σπίτι, romanized: Kalós írthate spíti)
Nations	201
Athletes	10,557 (6,257 men, 4,300 women)
Events	301 in 28 sports (40 disciplines)
Opening	13 August 2004
Closing	29 August 2004
Opened by	President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos[1]
Cauldron	Nikolaos Kaklamanakis[1]
Stadium	Olympic Stadium
Summer ← Sydney 2000 Beijing 2008 → Winter ← Salt Lake 2002 Turin 2006 → 2004 Summer Paralympics

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2004 Summer Olympics
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The 2004 Summer Olympics (Greek: Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, romanized: Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 2004),^[b] officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 28is Olympiádas) and also known as Athens 2004 (Αθήνα 2004), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete,^[2][3] some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries,^[2] with 301 medal events in 28 different sports.^[2] The 2004 Games marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance, and also marked the first time Athens hosted the Games since their first modern incarnation in 1896 as well as the return of the Olympic games to its birthplace. Athens became one of only four cities at the time to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two occasions (together with Paris, London and Los Angeles). A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since 1928. The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens^[4] rectifying the long-running mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.^[5] The 2004 Games was the first of two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Southern Europe since the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and was followed by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

The 2004 Olympic Games were hailed as "unforgettable dream games" by then-IOC President Jacques Rogge, and left Athens with a significantly improved infrastructure, including a new airport, ring road and subway system.^[6] However, there has been debate regarding the cost of the Games and their possible contribution to the 2010–18 Greek government-debt crisis, although there is little or no evidence supporting such a correlation. The 2004 Games were generally deemed to be a success, with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China and Russia with host nation Greece at 15th place. Several world and Olympic records were also broken during these Games.

Chile, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Georgia and Israel won their first Olympic gold medals. Eritrea and Paraguay won their first Olympic medals. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) won both their first Olympic medal and gold medal in this event.

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