2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympic games took place on Friday 15 September in Stadium Australia. 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. For Sydney 2000, the Games were formally opened by Governor-General Sir William Deane. The ceremony was described by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch as the most beautiful ceremony the world has ever seen. It also represented everything Australian, from sea creatures and flora/fauna to lawn mowers and other Australian cultural icons. The Opening Ceremony had a cast of 12,687 people who took part in the ceremony. Consistent with normal major production management together with co-ordination of the ceremony with over 12,000 performers, the Sydney Symphony mimed the music on the night. This was to insure against the forecast rain and windy conditions. The music was pre-recorded in the preceding weeks under studio conditions ensuring the flawless quality of the music broadcast around the world on this night.