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103-659: It was originally built for the 1996 Summer Olympics as Centennial Olympic Stadium . Following the 1996 Summer Paralympics , the Olympic Stadium was reconfigured as designed into the baseball-specific Turner Field , serving as the home of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball from 1997 until 2016 . After the Braves' departure for Truist Park in Cobb County , Georgia State University acquired

206-509: A Jeopardy! international tournament , and three weeks of Wheel of Fortune episodes filmed on-location at Atlanta's Fox Theatre . The Games were affected by several instances of ambush marketing —in which companies attempt to use the Games as a means to promote their brand, in competition with the exclusive, category-based sponsorship rights issued by the Atlanta organizing committee and

309-414: A commemorative plaque was unveiled for Centennial Olympic Park to honor the 20th anniversary of the Games. Following the Braves' departure from Turner Field to Truist Park in 2017, Georgia State University acquired the former Olympic Stadium and surrounding parking lots. It reconfigured the stadium for a second time into Center Parc Stadium for its college football team . The 1996 Olympic cauldron

412-668: A 21–13 victory over the South Alabama Jaguars . Foo Fighters played the first concert at Center Parc Stadium on April 28, 2018 as part of the Concrete and Gold Tour . The Legends' first home game was played on February 24, 2019 against the Birmingham Iron , where they lost 28-12. On September 10, 2022, Georgia State hosted a Power 5 conference school for the first time in the Panthers' history. The game

515-468: A 49,000-seat baseball park. This involved demolishing the temporary stands that had made up nearly half the Olympic stadium and replacing them with outfield stands and other attractions behind them. The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority continued to own the stadium and leased it to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2016 . The Braves operated the stadium. As Turner Field,

618-723: A British colony (1842–1997). This meant that for the only time, the colonial flag of Hong Kong was raised to the accompaniment of the British national anthem " God Save the Queen ", as Hong Kong's sovereignty was later transferred to China in 1997. The U.S. women's soccer team won the gold medal in the first-ever women's football event. For the first time, Olympic medals were won by athletes from Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Burundi , Czech Republic , Ecuador , Georgia , Hong Kong , Kazakhstan , Moldova , Mozambique , Slovakia , Tonga , Ukraine , and Uzbekistan . Another first in Atlanta

721-549: A Major League Baseball team. After winning office, Allen chose a 47-acre (19 ha) plot in the Washington–Rawson neighborhood for the building site, citing its proximity to the state capitol , downtown businesses, and major highways. Allen and The Atlanta Journal sports editor Furman Bisher attempted to persuade Charlie Finley , owner of the Kansas City Athletics , to move his team to Atlanta. Finley

824-425: A four-year suspension in 1998 for tampering with a urine sample, though her medals and records were allowed to stand. In track and field, Donovan Bailey of Canada won the men's 100 m, setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds at that time. He also anchored his team's gold in the 4 × 100 m relay . Michael Johnson won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m, setting a new world record of 19.32 seconds in

927-719: A lasting impact on the city; Centennial Olympic Park led a revitalization of Atlanta's downtown area , and has served as a symbol of the legacy of the 1996 Games; the Olympic Village buildings have since been used as residential housing for area universities; and the Centennial Olympic Stadium has since been redeveloped twice, first as the Turner Field baseball stadium, then as the Center Parc American football stadium. Atlanta

1030-579: A local cauldron lighting event on the first day of the Games (headlined by a performance by country musician Trisha Yearwood ). In 1994, African-American artist Kevin Cole was commissioned to create the Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic Mural, and the 15-story mural took two years to complete. The ceremony began with a 60-second countdown, which included footage from all of the previous Olympic Games at twenty-two seconds. There

1133-537: A municipal street-maintenance crew. Due to the elevation of the Atlanta area (situated at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains ), the stadium boasted the highest elevation in baseball when it opened, at 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level. It retained this distinction for 27 seasons, until the expansion Colorado Rockies entered the National League in 1993 . The high elevation and

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1236-580: A new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years. The 1996 Games were the first of the two consecutive Summer Olympics to be held in a predominantly English-speaking country , preceding the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. These were also the last Summer Olympics to be held in North America until 2028 , when Los Angeles will host

1339-496: A new baseball field on the footprint of the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium , incorporating the wall where Hank Aaron hit his historic 715th home run; an alternate proposal submitted in November 2015 proposed adaptively reusing portions of the ballpark for a mixed housing and retail development while a new football-specific stadium was built to the north along with the aforementioned new baseball field. On December 21, 2015,

1442-650: A statement, saying: "the purpose of the attack on July 27th was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand." He received four life sentences without parole , to be served at USP Florence ADMAX near Florence, Colorado . Preparations for the Olympics lasted more than seven years and had an economic impact of at least US$ 5.14 billion. Over two million visitors came to Atlanta, and approximately 3.5 billion people around

1545-489: A successful 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and Melbourne, Australia, who hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics and after Brisbane, Australia 's failed bid for the 1992 games (which were awarded to Barcelona ) and prior to Sydney, Australia 's successful 2000 Summer Olympics bid. This would be Toronto's fourth failed attempt since 1960 (tried in 1960, 1964, and 1976, but was defeated by Rome, Tokyo and Montreal). Greece ,

1648-563: A team rhythmic gymnastics event. In women's gymnastics, Ukrainian Lilia Podkopayeva became the all-around Olympic champion. Podkopayeva also won a second gold medal in the floor exercise final and a silver on the beam – becoming the only female gymnast since Nadia Comăneci to win an individual event gold after winning the all-around title in the same Olympics. Kerri Strug of the United States women's gymnastics team vaulted with an injured ankle and landed on one foot, winning

1751-433: A three-week road trip. Following the Olympics and the 1996 World Series, Fulton County commissioner, Marvin S. Arrington Sr. , wanted to preserve the stadium as the home of a future Major League Soccer franchise and share the parking facilities between it and Turner Field but he was unable to push it through. On April 4, 1997, home plate was removed from Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and taken to Turner Field, where it

1854-920: Is also accessible from multiple bus routes near the stadium courtesy of MARTA . MARTA does not offer a direct rail station at the stadium; however, it can be accessed from the Georgia State station on the Blue / Green Line. 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad , also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games ) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta , Georgia , United States . These were

1957-426: Is the fact that, unlike most multi-purpose stadiums – where the football field was laid either parallel to one of the foul lines or running from home plate to center field – the football field here was laid along a line running between first and third base. Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum has a similar configuration. Thus, a seat behind home plate for baseball would also be on the 50-yard line for football. The stadium

2060-491: The 1965 season . However, court battles kept the Braves in Milwaukee for one last season. The new stadium was built on the site of the cleared Washington–Rawson neighborhood, which a half-century before had been a wealthy neighborhood home to Georgia's governor, among others, but which by the 1960s had fallen on hard times. Forty-seven dignitaries took part in a groundbreaking ceremony on April 15, 1964, and that November,

2163-460: The 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer ) were: Armenia , Belarus , Czech Republic , Georgia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Moldova , Slovakia , Ukraine and Uzbekistan . The Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the games as independent nations for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia , while the rest of the nations that made their Summer Olympic debut were formerly part of

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2266-529: The 2004 Summer Olympics seven years later on September 5, 1997. The total cost of the 1996 Summer Olympics was estimated to be around US$ 1.7 billion. The venues and the Games themselves were funded entirely via private investment, and the only public funding came from the U.S. government for security, and around $ 500 million of public money used on physical public infrastructure including streetscaping, road improvements, Centennial Olympic Park (alongside $ 75 million in private funding), expansion of

2369-454: The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, have caused some to offer more positive reappraisals of the management of the 1996 Summer Games. Former JPMorgan Chase president (and torchbearer) Kabir Sehgal noted that in contrast to many later Olympics, those of 1996 were financially viable, had a positive economic impact on the city, and most of the facilities constructed continued to be used after

2472-465: The Georgia Dome in 1992 , while the Braves remained until Centennial Olympic Stadium from the 1996 Summer Olympics was converted into Turner Field , which was completed just prior to the start of the 1997 season . The stadium sat 60,606 for football and 52,007 for baseball. The baseball competition for the 1996 Summer Olympics was held at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium while the Braves were on

2575-587: The Soviet Union . 10,339 athletes from 197 NOCs participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics. The 1996 Olympics were marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing , which occurred on July 27. Security guard Richard Jewell discovered the pipe bomb and immediately notified law enforcement, helping to evacuate as many people as possible from the area before it exploded. Although Jewell's quick actions are credited for saving many lives,

2678-614: The University System of Georgia on November 9 of that year. Turner Field was renovated into Center Parc Stadium for the Panthers football team , while new baseball and softball parks are planned for the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium site. In May 2024, The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the construction of a new baseball stadium on the site, with completion planned in time for

2781-738: The University System of Georgia on November 9, 2016. The sale of the Turner Field property to Georgia State was officially closed on January 5, 2017, with the stadium conversion project beginning in February 2017. The stadium acquisition and renovation project was expected to cost $ 52.8 million; the university did not expect to add or increase student fees to fund the project, and the proceeds would come from revenue from bookstore operations, parking, and housing, as well as private donations. Renovations took place over multiple phases, and included installing an artificial turf playing surface, reorienting

2884-471: The Women's artistic gymnastics team all-around . The Games were marred by violence on July 27, 1996, when a pipe bomb was detonated at Centennial Olympic Park (which had been built to serve as a public focal point for the festivities), killing two and injuring 111. Years later, Eric Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related terrorist attacks, and was sentenced to life in prison. Nonetheless,

2987-483: The closing ceremony , IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said in his closing speech, "Well done, Atlanta" and simply called the Games "most exceptional." This broke precedent for Samaranch, who had traditionally labeled each Games "the best Olympics ever" at each closing ceremony, a practice he resumed at the subsequent Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 . A report prepared after the Games by European Olympic officials

3090-439: The 1992 Summer Games Afghanistan and Cambodia returned to send delegations to Atlanta. The 14 countries making their Olympic debut were: Azerbaijan , Burundi , Cape Verde , Comoros , Dominica , Guinea-Bissau , Macedonia , Nauru , Palestinian Authority , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , São Tomé and Príncipe , Tajikistan and Turkmenistan . The ten countries making their Summer Olympic debut (after competing at

3193-444: The 1996 Olympics turned a profit, helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights, and a reliance on private funding, among other factors. There were 8.3 million tickets sold for events at this Olympics, a record broken only in 2024. There was some criticism of the perceived over-commercialization of the Games, with other issues raised by European officials, such as the availability of food and transport. The event had

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3296-461: The 200 m. Marie-José Pérec equaled Johnson's performance, although without a world record, by winning the rare 200 m/400 m double. Carl Lewis won his 4th long jump gold medal at the age of 35. In tennis, Andre Agassi won the gold medal, which would eventually make him the first man and second singles player overall (after his eventual wife, Steffi Graf ) to win the career Golden Slam , which consists of an Olympic gold medal and victories in

3399-575: The 85,000-seat Centennial Olympic Stadium and used for the 1996 Summer Olympics . Private entities, including NBC and other Olympic sponsors, agreed to pay a large sum of the cost to build the Centennial Olympic Stadium (approximately $ 170 million of the $ 209 million bill). It was complete and ready for the opening ceremony in July 1996, where it hosted track and field events and the closing ceremony . The Atlanta Committee for

3502-545: The American Meter Company and electroplated by Erie Plating Company . Each torch weighed about 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) and was made primarily of aluminum, with a Georgia pecan wood handle and gold ornamentation. The 1996 Summer Olympic program featured 271 events in 26 sports. Softball , beach volleyball and mountain biking debuted on the Olympic program, together with women's football , lightweight rowing , women's swimming , women's fencing , and

3605-651: The American youth and a typical Saturday college football game in the South, including the wave commonly produced by spectators in sporting events around the world. There was another showcase entitled "Summertime" which focused on Atlanta and the Old South , emphasizing its beauty, spirit, music, history, culture, and rebirth after the American Civil War . The ceremony also featured a memorable dance tribute to

3708-634: The Athletes' Village, which distributed Nike-branded flags to visitors (presumably to be used at events). IOC marketing director Michael Payne expressed concern for the campaign, believing that athletes could perceive them as being an insult to their accomplishments. Payne and the United States Olympic Committee 's marketing director, John Krimsky, met with Howard Slusher, a subordinate of Nike co-founder Phil Knight . The meeting quickly turned aggressive, with Payne warning that

3811-657: The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority announced that they had accepted Georgia State's bid for the stadium property. It was decided to go with the reconfiguration plan and on August 18, 2016, Georgia State and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority reached a tentative purchase agreement for Turner Field, and the purchase and redevelopment plan was approved by the Board of Regents of

3914-855: The Beatles performed a concert at Atlanta Stadium. In 1966, both the National League 's transplanted Braves and the National Football League 's Atlanta Falcons , an expansion team , began to use the facilities. In 1967, the Atlanta Chiefs of the National Professional Soccer League (re-formed as the North American Soccer League in 1968) began the first of five seasons played at the stadium. The venue hosted

4017-624: The Braves signed a 25-year agreement to play there, beginning in 1966 . Construction was completed on April 9, 1965, for $ 18 million, and that night the Milwaukee Braves and Detroit Tigers played an exhibition game in the stadium. During that year the International League 's Atlanta Crackers , whose previous home had been Ponce de Leon Park , played their final season in Atlanta Stadium. On August 18, 1965,

4120-750: The Dream ", accompanied by Foster on the piano, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Centennial Choir (comprising Morehouse College Glee Club , Spelman College Glee Club and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus). Gladys Knight sang Georgia's official state song , " Georgia on My Mind ". There was a showcase entitled "Welcome To The World", featuring cheerleaders , Chevrolet pick-up trucks , marching bands , and steppers , which highlighted

4223-548: The Falcons and the renovation of Philips Arena (now known as State Farm Arena ) for the National Basketball Association 's Atlanta Hawks . Between April and May 2014, Georgia State University announced its intentions to pursue the 77-acre (31 ha) Turner Field site for a mixed use development. One proposed development plan included reconfiguring Turner Field into a football stadium and building

Center Parc Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

4326-607: The French Open title in 1999, making him the first men's singles tennis player to complete the Golden Slam ; Donovan Bailey , who set a new world record of 9.84 for the men's 100 meters ; Lilia Podkopayeva , who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold medal after winning the all-around title in the same Olympics; and the Magnificent Seven , who dramatically won the first ever U.S. gold medal in

4429-654: The GHSA and the Atlanta Falcons reached a three-year agreement, starting in the 2023 season, to bring the football championships back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Drum Corps International has hosted the annual DCI Southeastern Championship at Center Parc Stadium since 2022. Center Parc Stadium is located in the Southeastern Atlanta neighborhood of Summerhill . It is located on Hank Aaron Drive, which provides multiple parking areas. Center Parc Stadium

4532-563: The Games were held in Atlanta. The 1996 Summer Olympics relied heavily on commercial sponsorship. The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company was the exclusive provider of soft drinks at Olympics venues, and built an attraction known as Coca-Cola Olympic City for the Games. As part of a sponsorship agreement with Columbia TriStar Television , the syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune both produced episodes with Olympics tie-ins (including branded memorabilia and contests) for broadcast between April and July 1996. These included

4635-525: The Games. Sehgal contrasted the 1996 Games' "grassroots" effort backed almost entirely by private funding, with the only significant public spending coming from infrastructure associated with the Games, to modern "top-down" bids, instigated by local governments and reliant on taxpayer funding, making them unpopular among citizens who may not necessarily be interested. The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will rely almost entirely on private funding, with

4738-596: The IOC (which grants the rights to use Olympics-related terms and emblems in marketing). The Atlanta organizing committee threatened legal actions against advertisers whose marketing implied an official association with the Games. Several non-sponsors set up marketing activities in areas near venues, such as Samsung (competing with Motorola ), which ambushed the Games with its "96 Expo". The city of Atlanta had also licensed street vendors to sell products from competitors to Olympic sponsors. The most controversial ambush campaign

4841-485: The IOC could pull accreditation for Nike employees and ban the display of its logos on equipment; he also threatened to organize a press conference where silver medallists from the Games, as well as prominent Nike-sponsored athlete Michael Johnson (who attracted attention during the Games for wearing custom, gold-colored Nike shoes), would denounce the company. Faced with these threats, Nike agreed to retract most of its negative advertising and public relations stunts. At

4944-462: The Olympic swimming pool, the first American woman to win four titles in a single Olympiad. Penny Heyns , swimmer of South Africa, won the gold medals in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events. Michelle Smith of Ireland won three gold medals and a bronze in swimming. She remains her nation's most decorated Olympian. However, her victories were overshadowed by doping allegations even though she did not test positive in 1996. She received

5047-556: The Olympic Games (ACOG) designed and built the stadium in a way that it could be readily converted to a new baseball stadium, and ACOG would pay for the conversion. This was considered a good agreement for both the Olympic Committee and the Braves. The 71,000-seat Georgia Dome had been completed four years earlier by the state of Georgia to become the home of the National Football League 's Atlanta Falcons , so there

5150-737: The Olympic Village, which became the first residential housing for Georgia State University (Georgia State Village), are now used by the Georgia Institute of Technology (North Avenue Apartments). As designed, the Centennial Olympic Stadium was converted into Turner Field after the Paralympics, which became the home of the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team from 1997 to 2016. The Braves' former home, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium ,

5253-461: The Olympic rings while the youth of Atlanta formed the number 100. Famed film score composer John Williams wrote the official overture for the 1996 Olympics, called " Summon the Heroes "; this was his second overture for Olympic games, the first being " Olympic Fanfare and Theme " written for the 1984 Summer Olympics . Céline Dion performed David Foster 's official 1996 Olympics song " The Power of

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5356-629: The Olympics in 1996 we will never bid again to host them." However, the Athens bid was described as "arrogant and poorly prepared," being regarded as "not being up to the task of coping with the modern and risk-prone extravaganza" of the current Games. Athens faced numerous obstacles, including "political instability, potential security problems, air pollution, traffic congestion and the fact that it would have to spend about US$ 3 billion to improve its infrastructure of airports, roads, rail lines and other amenities." Athens would later be selected to host

5459-420: The South helped to impress the IOC officials. Coca-Cola , a long-standing partner of the Olympics, was also a strong advocate to bring the Games to its hometown. The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) also proposed a substantial revenue-sharing with the IOC, USOC, and other NOCs. Atlanta's main rivals were Toronto, whose front-running bid that began in 1986 had chances to succeed after Canada had held

5562-477: The Southeast. The Olympiad's official theme, "Summon the Heroes", was written by John Williams , making it the third Olympiad at that point for which he had composed (official composer in 1984, NBC's coverage composer in 1988). The opening ceremony featured Céline Dion singing " The Power of the Dream ", the theme song of the 1996 Olympics. The closing ceremony featured Gloria Estefan singing " Reach ",

5665-553: The Southern summer heat made it favorable to home run hitters, resulting in the nickname "The Launching Pad." Until the Florida Marlins arrived (also in 1993 ), the stadium was the hottest in the majors. Fulton County Stadium was designed by a joint-venture team of FABRAP (Finch Alexander Barnes Rothschild & Paschal) and Heery, Inc . †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used

5768-631: The Summer Games since 1960 is $ 5.2 billion. Unlike Atlanta 1996, Beijing and Sochi were primarily funded by their respective governments. Events of the 1996 Games were held in a variety of areas. A number were held within the Olympic Ring, a 3 mi (4.8 km) circle from the center of Atlanta. Others were held at Stone Mountain , about 20 miles (32 km) outside of the city. To broaden ticket sales, other events, such as Association football (soccer), were staged in various cities in

5871-567: The airport, improvements in public transportation, and redevelopment of public housing projects. $ 420 million worth of tickets were sold, sale of sponsorship rights accounted for $ 540 million, and sale of the domestic broadcast rights to NBC accounted for $ 456 million. In total, the Games turned a profit of $ 19 million. The cost for Atlanta 1996 compares with costs of $ 4.6 billion for Rio 2016, $ 40–44 billion for Beijing 2008, and $ 51 billion for Sochi 2014 (the most expensive Olympics in history). The average cost for

5974-468: The athletes and to the goddesses of victory of the ancient Greek Olympics, using silhouette imagery. The accompanying music, "The Tradition of the Games", was composed by Basil Poledouris . Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron and later received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics . For the torch ceremony, more than 10,000 Olympic torches were manufactured by

6077-578: The behest of Summerhill residents in June 2017 for health and safety reasons. On August 11, 2020, the university entered a naming rights agreement with the Atlanta Postal Credit Union (APCU), in a contract lasting 15 years and valued at $ 21 million. The stadium was renamed under APCU's new consumer brand Center Parc as Center Parc Stadium. Under the agreement, APCU can change the name of the stadium no more than twice with approval from

6180-483: The bombing killed spectator Alice Hawthorne, wounded 111 others, and caused the death of Melih Uzunyol by a heart attack. Jewell was later considered a suspect in the bombing but was never charged, and he was cleared in October 1996. Fugitive Eric Rudolph was arrested in May 2003 and charged with the Olympic Park bombing as well as the bombings of two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub . At his trial two years later, he confessed to all charges and afterwards released

6283-439: The city of Atlanta to extend the lease broke down. According to then-Braves vice chairman John Schuerholz , Turner Field required $ 350 million in renovations—$ 150 million for structural upkeep and $ 200 million to improve the fan experience. Then-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed stated that the city could not afford the cost of the renovations desired by the Braves while also partially funding the construction of Mercedes-Benz Stadium for

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6386-448: The city of Los Angeles and state of California each intending to provide up to $ 250 million in funding in the event of shortfalls, and the U.S. federal government providing funding solely for security. Atlanta%E2%80%93Fulton County Stadium Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium , often referred to as Fulton County Stadium and originally named Atlanta Stadium , was a multi-purpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia . The stadium

6489-421: The display of advertising within venues, and that "you have to look to the private sector for at least a portion of the funding, and unless you're looking for handouts, you're dealing with people who are investing business assets, and they have to get a return." In 1997, Athens was awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics . Along with addressing the shortcomings of its 1996 bid, it was lauded for its efforts to promote

6592-405: The first phase of construction was completed prior to the Panthers' first scheduled game at the stadium. The second phase of construction took place in 2018 and built out the remainder of the stadium. While the university planned to tailor the stadium to suit the Panthers' football team and its future needs, the university also planned to honor the legacy of the 1996 Olympics and the Braves' tenure at

6695-464: The first time as independent nations. With a total of 101 medals, the United States topped both the gold and overall medal count for the first time since 1984 (and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics), also winning the most gold (44) and silver (32) medals out of all the participating nations. Notable performances during the competition included those of Andre Agassi , whose gold medal in these Games would be followed up with

6798-492: The first women's team gold medal for the US. Shannon Miller won the gold medal on the balance beam event, the first time an American gymnast had won an individual gold medal in non-boycotted Olympic games. The Spanish team won the first gold medal in the new competition of women's rhythmic group all-around . The team was formed by Estela Giménez , Marta Baldó , Nuria Cabanillas , Lorena Guréndez , Estíbaliz Martínez and Tania Lamarca . Amy Van Dyken won four gold medals in

6901-433: The former Georgia Dome. The GHSA's first two years at Mercedes-Benz Stadium were also marred by logistical issues, with the six of the eight 2017 championship games postponed and moved to school sites due to a winter storm hitting Atlanta on the weekend of the championships, and the 2018 championships were moved to mid-week due to Major League Soccer 's Atlanta United FC hosting MLS Cup 2018 on December 8. In December 2022,

7004-419: The former Olympic Stadium and surrounding lots, there has been proposals and growing calls to move the Olympic cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park . The Olympic cauldron was re-lit in February 2020 for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The 1996 Olympics are the most recent edition of the Summer Olympics to be held in the United States. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics , 32 years after

7107-438: The fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, making it the first country to have three different cities host the Summer Olympics. It also marked the 100th anniversary of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games . These were also the first Summer Olympics to be held in a different year than the Winter Olympics since the Winter Olympics commenced in 1924, as part of

7210-504: The games for the third time. 10,318 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports, including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball , mountain biking and softball , as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing , women's swimming 4 x 200 freestyle relay , women's fencing , team rhythmic gymnastics , and women's association football . A total of 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debuts in Atlanta, including 11 former Soviet republics participating for

7313-475: The highest, while IOC members said that it could guarantee large television revenues similar to the success of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , the most recent Olympics in the United States. Additionally, former US ambassador to the UN and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young touted Atlanta's civil rights history and reputation for racial harmony. Young also wanted to showcase a reformed American South . The strong economy of Atlanta and improved race relations in

7416-520: The home of the ancient and first modern Olympics , was considered by many observers the "natural choice" for the Centennial Games, due to its "divine right" in history. Athens bid chairman Spyros Metaxas gave repeated warnings to the IOC and demanded to give them the games to mark the centennial, saying "You don't hold a 100th birthday in someone else's home. The Centenary Games should be held in Athens." He also warned that "if we don't get

7519-555: The lower bowl, covering upper deck seating, and upgrading locker rooms. Initial capacity for the stadium was 23,000, with future expansion for 33,000. In addition to football, the university intends to use the stadium as a multipurpose facility. The university announced on February 9, 2017 that the Panthers' first game in Georgia State Stadium was scheduled for August 31, 2017 against Tennessee State . Reconstruction for Georgia State Stadium began on February 27, 2017, and

7622-559: The official theme song of the 1996 Olympics. The mascot for the Olympiad was an abstract, animated character named Izzy . In contrast to the standing tradition of mascots of national or regional significance in the city hosting the Olympiad, Izzy was an amorphous, fantasy figure. A video game featuring the Games' mascot, Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings , was also released. Atlanta's Olympic slogan "Come Celebrate Our Dream"

7725-569: The same place it did when the stadium was on the site. The outfield fence was donated to the Georgia State Baseball Complex and installed prior to the 1998 season. Upon the Atlanta Braves' move to Truist Park in suburban Cobb County after the 2016 season , the stadium site and the adjacent Turner Field were purchased by Georgia State University in 2016, with final approval from the Board of Regents of

7828-473: The second match of the NASL Final 1968 and two matches of the NASL Final 1971 . On February 11, 1975, the stadium's name was changed to the compound Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium after the county threatened to withdraw its financial support. However, the official website of the Atlanta Braves maintains that the name change occurred after Ted Turner purchased the team in 1976 . The Falcons moved to

7931-503: The singles tournaments held at professional tennis' four major events ( Australian Open , French Open , Wimbledon , and US Open ). There were a series of national firsts realized during the Games. Deon Hemmings became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for Jamaica and the English-speaking West Indies . Lee Lai Shan won a gold medal in sailing, the only Olympic medal that Hong Kong ever won as

8034-407: The stadium and its surrounding parking lots for a large scale expansion of the university's campus, including new private and student housing, academic, and retail space, in addition to the stadium redevelopment. Center Parc Stadium is the second former Braves ballpark to be converted to a college football stadium, the first being Boston's Nickerson Field . The stadium was originally constructed as

8137-405: The stadium for another five years, then moved into Turner Field in 1997 , the converted Centennial Olympic Stadium built for the previous year's Summer Olympics . Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium hosted baseball events. Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium was demolished on August 2, 1997. During his 1961 campaign for mayor of Atlanta , Ivan Allen Jr. promised to build a sports facility to attract

8240-406: The stadium hosted notable events such as games 1 and 2 of the 1999 World Series and the 2000 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The end of the Braves' most recent lease in 2016 coincided with the team's departure for Truist Park . In November 2013, the Atlanta Braves announced that they would vacate Turner Field upon the expiration of their lease in 2016 after negotiations between the team and

8343-496: The stadium, have expressed their criticisms over the impending development, particularly over the potential of being displaced due to gentrification , despite both Georgia State and the developers seeking input from local residents to help mitigate their concerns. In April 2017, protesters set up a tent city near the stadium; however, the encampment was removed by the Georgia State Police Department at

8446-497: The stadium. On August 8, 2017, the university announced that the playing surface would be named in honor of Georgia State alumnus Parker H. "Pete" Petit, who contributed $ 10 million towards the Panthers athletic program. Prior to and since the acceptance of the bid from Georgia State and developers Carter and Oakwood Development for Turner Field, residents of the Summerhill and Mechanicsville neighborhoods, which lie adjacent to

8549-526: The start of the 2026 season. The site is currently a parking lot for Center Parc Stadium . For the 1996 summer Olympics, the stadium was the primary venue for baseball. The stadium was relatively nondescript, one of the many multi-purpose stadiums built during the 1960s and 1970s, similar to Veterans Stadium , RFK Stadium , the Astrodome , Three Rivers Stadium , Busch Memorial Stadium , Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and Riverfront Stadium . As

8652-574: The then top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide three weeks later. In 2018, Center Parc Stadium became the new neutral home of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge . On May 7, 2019, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) announced that the football championships would be moved from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to Center Parc Stadium starting in the 2019 season, citing the higher costs of renting Mercedes-Benz Stadium compared to

8755-520: The traditional values of the Olympic Games, which some IOC observers felt had been lost due to the over-commercialization of the 1996 Games. However, the 2004 Games heavily relied on public funding and eventually failed to make a profit, which some have claimed contributed to the financial crisis in Greece . The financial struggles faced by many later Games, such as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and

8858-566: The university and the Georgia Board of Regents. The stadium's first event was the 2017 Corky Kell Classic , a series of high school football games, on August 18 and 19, 2017. The first Panthers home game in the stadium was on August 31, 2017, a 17–10 loss to the Tennessee State Tigers in front of an announced sellout crowd of 24,333. Georgia State's first home victory at Center Parc Stadium came on October 26, 2017 with

8961-488: The world watched at least some of the events on television. Although marred by the tragedy of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing , the Games were a financial success, due in part to TV rights contracts and sponsorships at record levels. Atlanta also set a new record for the most tickets sold at a single Games (8.3 million), and held it until 2024. Beyond international recognition, the Games resulted in many modern infrastructure improvements. The mid-rise dormitories built for

9064-704: Was a 35-28 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels . On September 14, 2024, Georgia State defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) 36-32 at Center Parc Stadium. It was Georgia State's first time hosting an SEC opponent, and their first victory against an SEC team since beating the Tennessee Volunteers on the road in 2019. Incidentally, Vanderbilt would go on to beat

9167-726: Was about 10,318. Twenty-four countries made their Olympic debut this year, including eleven of the ex-Soviet countries that competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992 . Russia participated in the Summer Olympics separately from the other countries of the former Soviet Union for the first time since 1912 (when it was the Russian Empire ). Russia had been a member of the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics together with 11 post-Soviet states. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia competed as Yugoslavia . After missing

9270-409: Was critical of Atlanta's performance in several key areas, including the level of crowding in the Olympic Village, the quality of available food, the accessibility and convenience of transportation, and the Games' general atmosphere of commercialism. IOC vice-president Dick Pound responded to criticism of the commercialization of these Games, stating that they still adhered to a historic policy barring

9373-489: Was demolished in 1997 and the site became a parking lot for Turner Field; the Omni Coliseum was demolished the same year to make way for State Farm Arena . The city's permanent memorial to the 1996 Olympics is Centennial Olympic Park , which was built as a focal point for the Games. The park initiated a revitalization of the surrounding area and now serves as the hub for Atlanta's tourism district. In November 2016,

9476-459: Was home of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball from 1966 until 1996 and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League from 1966 until 1991 . It was built to attract an MLB team and in 1966 succeeded when the Milwaukee Braves relocated from Wisconsin . The Braves and expansion Falcons shared the venue for 26 years, until the Falcons moved into the newly completed Georgia Dome in 1992 . The Braves continued to play at

9579-464: Was installed by Hank Aaron in the new stadium. Afterwards, demolition of the old stadium began. Between spring and summer 1997, the inside of the stadium was demolished. The stadium was imploded on August 2, 1997; the remains were later removed and demolished. A parking lot, built for Turner Field now stands on the site, with an outline of the old stadium built in. The monument that marked the landing point of Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run stands in

9682-477: Was no need for another large stadium in downtown Atlanta . Furthermore, the Braves had already been exploring opportunities for a new stadium. Immediately after the 1996 Summer Paralympics , which followed the Olympics, the stadium went through its first conversion. In the multimillion-dollar renovation covered by the ACOG, much of the north end of the stadium was removed in order to convert it to its permanent use as

9785-409: Was originally built and placed at the intersection of Fulton Street and Capitol Avenue, near the Centennial Olympic Stadium. After the Paralympics, in order to make room for the stadium conversion, the Olympic cauldron was moved (except its ramp, which was demolished) to the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Fulton Street in 1997, where it has stayed since. Since Georgia State University's acquisition of

9888-643: Was receptive and began discussing stadium design plans with Allen. However, the deal ended in July 1963 when the American League did not approve the move. In 1964, Mayor Allen announced that an unidentified team had given him a verbal commitment to move to Atlanta, provided a stadium was in place by 1966. Soon afterward, the prospective team was revealed to be the Milwaukee Braves, who announced in October that they intended to move to Atlanta for

9991-404: Was refurbished for the 1996 season prior to hosting the Olympic baseball competition. Unlike similarly designed outdoor stadiums—such as Riverfront Stadium and Busch Memorial Stadium—Fulton County Stadium always had a natural grass surface. However, for many years it was notorious for its poor field conditions. Until 1989, it didn't have full-time groundskeepers. Instead, it was tended to by

10094-556: Was selected on September 18, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan , over Athens, Belgrade, Manchester, Melbourne, and Toronto at the 96th IOC Session . The city entered the competition as a dark horse , being up against stiff competition. The US media also criticized Atlanta as a second-tier city and complained of Georgia's Confederate history . However, the IOC Evaluation Commission ranked Atlanta's infrastructure and facilities

10197-414: Was that this was the first Summer Olympics ever that not a single nation swept all three medals in a single event. These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1996 Games.   *    Host nation ( United States ) A total of 197 nations, all of the then-existing and recognized National Olympic Committees, were represented at the 1996 Games, and the combined total of athletes

10300-436: Was the case for every stadium that used this design concept, the fundamentally different sizes and shapes of baseball and football fields made it inadequate for both sports. In the baseball configuration, 70% of the seats were in foul territory. In the football configuration, seats on the 50-yard-line—normally prime seats for football—were more than 50 yards (46 m) away from the sidelines. One unusual feature of this stadium

10403-460: Was then a flashback to the closing ceremony of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona , showing the then president of the IOC , Juan Antonio Samaranch , inviting the athletes to compete in Atlanta in 1996. Then, spirits ascended in the northwest corner of the stadium, each representing one of the colors in the Olympic rings. The spirits called the tribes of the world which, after mixed percussion, formed

10506-469: Was undertaken by Nike, Inc. , which had begun an advertising campaign with aggressive slogans that mocked the Games' values, such as "Faster, Higher, Stronger, Badder", "If you're not here to win, you're a tourist", and "You don't win silver, you lose gold." The slogans were featured on magazine ads and billboards it purchased in Atlanta. Nike also opened a pop-up store known as the Nike Center near

10609-485: Was written by Jack Arogeti, a managing director at McCann-Erickson in Atlanta at the time. The slogan was selected from more than 5,000 submitted by the public to the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Billy Payne noted that Jack "captured the spirit and our true motivation for the Olympic games." The city of Savannah, Georgia , host of the yachting events, held its own local festivities, including

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