Remembering the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens 2004

·

No words are sufficient to recall the visual, musical and emotional spectacle that Dimitris Papaioannou created to open the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

Fireworks lit up the sky as some 10,000 athletes representing 202 countries marched together in front of 70,000 spectators during the opening.

The ceremony featured countless themes from ancient and modern Greek culture including traditional music, mythology-inspired costumes and other such motifs.

“The Opening and Closing Ceremonies will reflect two main aspects of Ancient Greek culture: the Apollonian and Dionysian,” Artistic Manager and Director of Ceremonies, Dimitris Papaioannou, stated at the time.

It also marked the first time in more than a century that the Olympic Games returned to Greece — as the first modern games had taken place there in 1896.

Following the ceremony, a parade of nations entered the stadium. The nations were arranged according to Greek alphabet, making Finland, Fiji, Chile and Hong Kong the last four to enter the stadium before the Greek delegation.

The ceremony ended with a massive fireworks spectacular. Photo: IOC.

On this occasion, in observance of the Olympic tradition that Greece opens the parade and the host nation closes it, the Greek flag bearer opened the parade and all the Greek delegation closed it.

The ceremony ended with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by 1996 gold medalist windsurfer Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, after which the audience was encapsulated by a massive fireworks spectacular.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Kostas Sloukas praises Greek Australian fans as Panathinaikos arrive in Sydney

Panathinaikos BC touched down in Sydney this week for the second leg of the 7th Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament.

From family legacy to the Federal Court: A look into Justice Anastasis Liveris’ legal career

In an exclusive interview with The Greek Herald, the Greek Australian judge reflected on how he felt to achieve this major career milestone.

The Greek influence on Australian television

Among the many communities that helped shape TV culture were Greeks, whose presence both on and off screen left a lasting mark.

Critically endangered monk seal welcomes newborn on Karpathos island

The first Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) birth of 2025 has been confirmed on the island of Karpathos.

Campaigners celebrate as Milos luxury hotel project is halted

Environmental activists have welcomed the suspension of a controversial five-star hotel project on Milos’s world-famous “moon beach”.

You May Also Like

Australian Prime Minister joins with Greek community to celebrate Independence Day

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has issued a message to Greek Australians to mark Greek Independence Day. Read the message here.

Language teachers meet the new government in NSW

Over 500 of the state’s top language teachers will come together on 15th April for their first interaction with the new NSW Government

Government urged to act as Armenian and Greek Genocides commemorated in Canberra

The 110th anniversary of the Armenian and Greek Genocides was solemnly commemorated at the ACT Legislative Assembly in Canberra on Tuesday.