Defending the “indefensible”
By Michael Weadock, Sept 2023
Remember the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta? They were rubbish weren’t they? Poorly organised, poorly executed, overly commercial and a miserable performance by Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They were the worst Olympic games ever. The IOC made a huge mistake awarding the Centennial Games to Atlanta.
Or, did they?
Of course, you cannot write about Atlanta without referencing the bombing in Centennial Park. One person was killed and one hundred and eleven others were injured. A member of the media heading to the scene also later died after suffering a heart attack. It was the worst moment for the Olympic Movement since the attacks in Munich in 1972.
The Atlanta Games are much maligned though for a myriad of reasons very separate from this terrorist incident and it is those addressed here. Looking back nearly 30 years later, I want to put forward the case for the defence of Atlanta. It starts at the Opening Ceremony and the appearance of Muhammad Ali to light the cauldron. It was an iconic moment and one that more than matched the archer in Barcelona in 1992 for its drama and the way the secret was kept. I loved the London Games, and the Opening Ceremony was a triumph, but no-one can instantly recall the lighting of the cauldron in the same way. Most people I speak to think it was done by David Beckham on a speedboat!
Atlanta also saw all 197 recognised National Olympic Committees represented for the first time in Olympic history.
There were wider benefits too. Legacy is a word often associated with the hosting of an Olympic Games. In London, we can see that at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where aside from the sporting venues, new communities and neighbourhoods have been built in East London transforming this part of the capital.
But, London didn’t invent legacy. Barcelona in 1992 did an amazing job in ensuring lasting benefits of its games, but what has happened in London had already happened in Atlanta. It was a blueprint if you like.
The 1996 Olympic Games transformed the city of Atlanta in a way no other city has managed. It was privately financed and left no debt. It left behind a series of privately funded infrastructure projects and facilities that otherwise would never have been built. Centennial Park was the heart of this re-development. Like London did 20 years later, Atlanta created a 21-acre urban green space in the heart of the city. It was the largest park constructed in the United States for a quarter of a century. It transformed a previously rundown industrial centre into a central gathering spot for sport, leisure, and entertainment.
Sound familiar, London 2012 fans?
2000 trees were planted and there was a huge investment in new landscaped plazas and promenades which completely changed the way the city looked. In the ten years following the Olympic Games nearly $2billion worth of hotels, offices, residential buildings, and entertainment venues were constructed in Atlanta. Atlanta reported a $5billion boost to its economy as a result of hosting the Olympic Games.
And Atlanta made its residents proud and helped to brand and launch the city in a way no other event would have been able to do.
The sport was fantastic too. We probably saw more of it on television as there were far fewer British Olympic medal moments to watch and so our coverage required a much more global approach. The US Women’s Soccer Team won gold, Michael Johnson’s upright running style was replicated in playgrounds across the globe, Ukraine had an all-around Olympic Gymnastics Champion and medals were won for the first time by athletes from a whole number of countries who had never been on an Olympic podium before.
So, why does Atlanta have such a bad reputation? Of course, the limited success by Great Britain and Northern Ireland plays its part and here again there is an amazing legacy of Atlanta, because shortly afterwards the National Lottery and the associated funding began a system which is producing a medal count like never before in this country.
Other issues with Atlanta…
Commercialism - there were too many vendors licensed to sell on the street, but if the alternative was years of debt, then it was probably a price worth paying.
Transportation - there were issues around the road network, but I’m not going to cry too many tears for journalists getting wound up because their free bus ride was running late.
Weather – the Games were held in the middle of summer when temperatures were always going to be high. This was to be able to use venues and facilities vacated for those months by local colleges and universities. Athletes prepare and know about the conditions using the best sports science available to them, and by hosting when they did, in Atlanta it meant a whole raft of new venues with no use once the Games were over weren’t required.
Atlanta. It wasn’t perfect. But, it wasn’t as terrible as you’ve been told.
(📸 Adele Cushing)
