2000 Summer Olympics facts for kids

The 2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony at Stadium Australia, on 15 September 2000.

The 2000 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were a huge sports event. They took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The games ran from September 15 to October 1, 2000.

A map showing the countries that competed in the 2000 Olympics.

Nearly 200 countries sent their best athletes to compete. In total, 199 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) took part. Four of these countries were new to the Olympics. They were Timor-Leste, Eritrea, Micronesia, and Palau.

Olympic Venues: Where the Games Happened

The 2000 Sydney Olympics used many different places for the sports. These places are called venues. Some were in Sydney Olympic Park, which was built specially for the games. Others were in different parts of Sydney or even in other cities in Australia.

Sydney Olympic Park Venues

Olympic Stadium

Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

State Hockey Centre

Sydney Olympic Park was the main hub for the games. Many big events happened here.

• Olympic Stadium: This huge stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. It was also where athletics events and the football final took place.
• Sydney International Aquatic Centre: This venue was for water sports. Athletes competed in diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo.
• State Sports Centre: This center hosted table tennis and taekwondo.
• NSW Tennis Centre: Tennis matches were played here.
• State Hockey Centre: Field hockey games were held at this venue.
• The Dome and Exhibition Complex: This large area hosted badminton, basketball, rhythmic gymnastics, handball, and indoor volleyball. It also had events for modern pentathlon.
• Sydney SuperDome: Artistic and trampoline gymnastics, along with the basketball finals, were held here.
• Sydney Baseball Stadium: Baseball games and some modern pentathlon events took place here.
• Sydney International Archery Park: Archery competitions were held at this park.

Venues Across Sydney

Dunc Gray Velodrome

Many other places around Sydney were used for the Olympics.

• Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre: This center hosted boxing, fencing, judo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
• Sydney Entertainment Centre: The indoor volleyball final was held here.
• Dunc Gray Velodrome: This special track was used for cycling events.
• Sydney International Shooting Centre: Shooting competitions took place here.
• Sydney International Equestrian Centre: Horse riding events were held at this center.
• Sydney International Regatta Centre: Rowing and sprint canoeing events happened on the water here.
• Blacktown Olympic Centre: This center hosted baseball and softball games.
• Fairfield City Farm: Mountain biking events were held at this farm.
• Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre: Water polo games were played here.
• Penrith Whitewater Stadium: This stadium was for slalom canoeing, which involves navigating rapids.
• Bondi Beach: Beach volleyball was played on the famous Bondi Beach.
• Sydney Football Stadium: More football matches were held at this stadium.
• Olympic Sailing Shore Base: Sailing competitions started from this base.
• Centennial Parklands: Road cycling events took place through these parklands.
• Marathon course: The marathon race for athletics followed a special course through the city.
• North Sydney: The marathon race started in North Sydney.
• Sydney Opera House: The triathlon event finished near the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Venues Outside Sydney

Some football games were also played in other Australian cities.

• Bruce Stadium, Canberra: Hosted football matches.
• Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide: Hosted football matches.
• Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne: Hosted football matches.
• Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane: Hosted football matches.

Olympic Games
Summer Games: 1896, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, (1916), 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028
Winter Games: 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Athens 2004 — Turin 2006 — Beijing 2008 — Vancouver 2010 — London 2012 — Sochi 2014 — Rio 2016 — Pyeongchang 2018 — Tokyo 2020 Games in italics will be held in the future, and those in (brackets) were cancelled because of war. See also: Ancient Olympic Games

Youth Olympic Games
Summer Games: 2010, 2014, 2018
Winter Games: 2012, 2016, 2020
Singapore 2010 — Innsbruck 2012 — Nanjing 2014

Images for kids

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  Gold medallist Nancy Johnson (center) of the U.S., raises her hands with silver medallist Cho-Hyun Kang (left), of South Korea, and bronze winner Gao Jing (right), of China, during the first medal ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games.

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  Cathy Freeman after the 400-meter final.

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  Olympic colors on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

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  Number of athletes from each country.

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  SOCOG organizational structure around 1998. This shows how the team planning the Olympics was set up.

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  SOCOG organizational structure around 1999. This shows how the team planning the Olympics changed closer to the games.

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Sídney 2000 para niños