2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

was described by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...

as the most beautiful ceremony the world has ever seen. Held on the evening of Friday 15 September 2000, the Opening Ceremony 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.

Prelude

Hosted by Channel Seven's

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

Sports Commentator David Fordham and Channel Seven's newsreader Chris Bath

Chris Bath

Christine "Chris" Bath is an Australian journalist and television personality. She is currently the weeknight presenter of Seven News Sydney and presenter of Seven's current affairs program Sunday Night....

, while seven months pregnant with her first child, live on stage in the stadium. Featured various performances, including "Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda

"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....

" with John Williamson

John Williamson (singer)

John Robert Williamson AM is an Australian country music singer-songwriter. Williamson has released over thirty-two albums, ten videos, five DVDs, and two lyric books...

Welcome

The Opening Ceremony began with a tribute to the heritage of the Australian Stock Horse

Australian Stock Horse

The Australian Stock Horse , has been especially bred for Australian conditions. It is a hardy breed of horse noted for endurance, agility and a good temperament. Its ancestry dates to the arrival of the first horses in Australia, brought from Europe, Africa and Asia...

, with the arrival of a lone rider, Steve Jefferys

Steve Jefferys

Steve Jefferys , was the lone rider in the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony. He galloped into the stadium on his 7 year old Australian Stock Horse "Ammo", which reared, and then Jefferys cracked his whip to signal the beginning of the Opening Ceremony...

, whose Australian Stock Horse, Ammo, reared. Steve Jefferys then cracked his stockwhip

Whip

A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...

and a further 120 riders and their Stock Horses entered the Stadium and performed intricate steps, including forming the five Olympic Rings, to the music of Bruce Rowland

Bruce Rowland

Bruce Rowland is a well-known Australian composer. He composed the soundtrack for the 1982 movie "The Man from Snowy River", as well as the soundtrack for its 1988 sequel "The Man from Snowy River II"...

who composed a special Olympics version of the main theme which he had composed for the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River.
A giant banner, painted by Sydney artist Ken Done

Ken Done

Ken Done, AM is an Australian artist best known for his design work. His simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the "Done Design" brand.-Early life:...

, said "G'Day" to the world.

Anthem

The Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair

Advance Australia Fair

"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...

, was sung by both Human Nature

Human Nature (band)

Human Nature are an Australian pop vocal group. The group was originally formed as a doo-wop band in 1989 while the current members were at school together in Sydney. So far, the band has had 17 Top 40 hits and five Top 10 hits in Australia since 1996 when their first album Telling Everybody was...

and Julie Anthony.

Deep Sea Dreaming

This segment celebrates Australia's affinity with the sea with the stadium floor being turned into a beach setting. Nikki Webster

Nikki Webster

Nikki Webster is an Australian pop performer. She is best known for her starring role in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and her single "Strawberry Kisses".-Recording career:...

arrives in beachwear and bask in the light. She seemed to fall asleep on the beach and drifts off into a dream. The performers represented the sea and the various aquatic fauna appear and move around the arena floor. This was a tribute to the Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...

off the coast of Australia. Nikki Webster was then hoisted up in the air by over head wires and swam with the sea creatures. Other swimmers were also present, being coached (on a large screen) by Australian swimming coach Laurie Lawrence

Laurie Lawrence

Laurie Joseph Lawrence , is an Australian swimming coach. He was also an Australia national rugby union team member in 1964.-Early life:...

. Elena Kats-Chernin

Elena Kats-Chernin

Elena Kats-Chernin is an Australian composer.Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent , and migrated to Australia in 1975.-Europe:...

composed the music for this section which was performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...

and Sydney Children's Choir.

Awakening

The awakening segment commemorated Australia's Aboriginal

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

past, which dates back thousands of years. A special welcome was made to countries competing at the Games. An Aboriginal elder guided Nikki Webster through the segment. Narration for the segment was by Australian Indigenous actor Ernie Dingo

Ernie Dingo

Ernie Dingo AM is an Indigenous Australian actor and television presenter originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison region of Western Australia.-Background:...

Nature

The Nature segment showcased the Australian outback, wildlife and flora. It began with various fire performers (jugglers, breathers) moving across the stadium floor, symbolising the advance of a bushfire. In the aftermath, performers representing the flora stir as the land is replenished with water and life. The stadium floor is filled with performers dressed in costumes representing various flowers including Australia's distinctive wild flowers such as the Golden Wattle

Golden Wattle

Acacia pycnantha is Australia's floral emblem. It is a tree which flowers in late winter and spring, producing a mass of fragrant, fluffy, golden flowers.-Description:...

(Australia's national flower), the Waratah

Waratah

Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...

(State flower of N.S.W), the Sturt's Desert Pea

Sturt's desert pea

Swainsona formosa, Sturt's Desert Pea, is an Australian plant in the genus Swainsona, named after English botanist Isaac Swainson, famous for its distinctive blood-red leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre, or "boss". It is one of Australia's best known wildflowers...

, Water Lilies

Water Lilies

Water Lilies is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet . The paintings depict Monet's flower garden at Giverny and were the main focus of Monet's artistic production during the last thirty years of his life...

and Eucalypt

Eucalypt

Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...

flowers. The fauna, which were represented by 7 large paintings by Jeffrey Sammuels, were then revealed, depicting the indigenous animal life in Australia. The dream like music heard during this sequence was composed and conducted by Australian composer, Chong Lim

Chong Lim

Chong Lim is an Australian keyboardist, producer, and session musician. He played with James Valentine of Models at Melbourne University, then joined Vanetta Field's Gospel Band. He has toured with the Eurogliders, Jermaine Jackson, WJAZ, and John Farnham...

. The flowers once more were illuminated before moving out of the stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

Tin Symphony

In the Tin Symphony segment, cases of the European settlement in Australia were shown, and the development of Australia into a rural and civic country. This segment began with the arrival of Captain James Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

and crew, with bicycles to represent his ship, HM Bark Endeavour

HM Bark Endeavour

HMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....

, during Captain Cook's exploration of the Australian east coast. The performer acting as Captain Cook lit a firework to start the segment. A caged fake rabbit was shown aboard the ship.

Against the chaotic soundtrack composed and performed by Australian violinist Ian Cooper

Ian Cooper (violinist)

Ian Cooper is an Australian Violinist. He was commissioned to compose the "Tin Symphony" for the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney and is proficient in many musical styles including Classical, Gypsy, Jazz, Irish & Country music...

, a multitude of performers dress as the iconic Australian bushranger

Bushranger

Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...

Ned Kelly

Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...

(with costumes based on a painting of Ned Kelly by artist Sir Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan

Sir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...

) then appear onto the stadium floor, with other symbolic items of the outback such as corrugated iron and storm water tanks present. A mechanical horse like vehicle was present which then changed into a wind mill. Cultural items such as woodcutting and whip cracking were showcased. Tap dancers present in this section danced on the corrugated iron sheets, with umbrellas made up to look like giant cogs and wheels to represent the industrial growth of Australia. The tempo changes as Australia's rural aspects were introduced. In the middle of the stadium floor, a shed was constructed from the corrugated iron sheets. Out of the shed comes a unique representation of sheep, an important livestock. The sheep were represented by performers in cardboard boxes, that move along with the music. Australian suburbia

SubUrbia

subUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...

is then represented as the performers emerged from the cardboard boxes with Victa lawn mowers to form the Olympics Rings. The giant mechanical horse then made another appearance, before Nikki Webster, gives an apple to it. The mechanical horse neighs to signify the end of the segment.

Arrivals

The Arrivals segment of the ceremony celebrated Australia's multiculturalism

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...

aspects introducing each continent with a float and costumes symbolising each continent

Continent

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...

.Music composed by Peewee Ferris. The segment started with the African continent and its representatives, dancing into the stadium wearing Black

Black

Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...

costumes. Then a splash of Yellow

Yellow

Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...

entailed the arrival of the Asian immigrants into Australia, led by two yellow Chinese Lion dancers. Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

was introduced by the colour Green

Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...

, further adding to the growing party on the stadium floor. Then another change of music and a splash of Red symbolising the arrival of people from the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

. Finally, the people from the various Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....

, with an emphasis on New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

came into the stadium in vivid Blue

Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...

costumes. The five floats maneuvered into position to represent their respective coloured rings. By the crescendo of the segment, four of the floats (Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific Islands) surround the African float as the performers from all the represented continents rushed out from the middle to form the Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

continent. The performers stood with arms out reached towards the audience, forming the coast line of Australia and thus symbolising Australia's welcoming arms to people from all over the world. Then many children dressed in the Olympic colours flood into the arena and form a solid shape of Australia, as the performers from the sequence before leave the performance floor. Nikki Webster then performed the song "Under Southern Skies" with 5 people representing each continent standing with her, as the children formed a large representation of the Southern Cross constellation with their lanterns.

A New Era and Eternity

The next segment began with Adam Garcia

Adam Garcia

Adam Garcia is an Australian actor and tap dancer of partial Colombian descent .-Career:...

standing on the central float in the middle of the stadium floor. He began his performance by tap dancing

Tap dance

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...

and inviting more performers onto the stadium. More dancers filed onto the stands where the audience was sitting who also joined in with performance. Several cherry picker cranes in the centre with the floats began to slowly rise up with the crescendo of the music. The dancers symbolised the workers building a new Australia for the future. The dancers in the stands rushed out onto the stadium floor to join their fellow dancers. Some of the dancers held square sheets of steel, that they both danced on and held in their hands to reflect light out as they danced. By the finale of this segment, large steel frames rose from each float to form a tall structure. In the middle were Nikki Webster and the aboriginal elder, who looked wondrously out into the audience, surveying the workers. Then as the close of the presentation comes near, the performers from the other segments all come out and join in with the dancers already dancing.

A large representation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...

composed of sparklers is set off in the middle of the stadium with the word "Eternity

Eternity (graffito)

The word Eternity was a graffito tag which had its origins in Melbourne, Australia, though it has been erroneously attributed as an invention of Sydney man Arthur Stace. The Melbourne Herald newspaper recalled on 20 June 1930 a local eccentric who travelled the suburbs 'adorning all the walls he...

" shown in the middle of the bridge.

Sydney 2000 Olympic Band

A massed Millennium Marching Band of 2000 musicians performed both Australian and international classics. The band consisted of 1000 Australian musicians, with the remaining 1000 musicians being from other countries around the world. The massed band was so large that six conductors were required for the segment. The band members wore Driza-Bone

Driza-Bone

Driza-Bone, originating from the phrase "dry as a bone", is a trade name for the company making full-length waterproof riding coats and apparel. The company was established in 1898 and is currently Australian owned and manufactures its products in Australia...

riding coats which had been especially modified for the band members. The band was the only live sound creator of the night; all other sounds, including the tap dancers' taps, were pre-recorded.

Parade of Nations

Once the Sydney 2000 Olympic Band made their grand introduction, the Parade of Nations began. A record 199 nations entered the stadium, the only missing IOC

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

member being Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

(which was suspended due to the Taliban regime's prohibition against practicing any kind of sports). Most remarkable was the entering of North

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

and South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

as one team, using a specially designed unification flag

Unification Flag

The Unification Flag is a flag designed to represent all of Korea when both North and South Korea participate in sporting events. The flag was first used in 1991 when the two countries competed as a single team in the 41st World Table Tennis Championship in Chiba, Japan and the 8th World Youth...

: a white background flag with a blue map of the Korean Peninsula

Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...

; the two teams would compete separately, however. Four athletes from East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

also marched in the parade of nations. Although the country-to-be had no National Olympic Committee then, they were allowed to compete under the Olympic Flag

Olympic symbols

The Olympic symbols are icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some—such as the flame, fanfare, and theme—are more common during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year.-Motto:The Olympic motto is...

. Every nation entered under a music piece played by the 2000 Olympic Marching Band. Greece

Greece at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Greece competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Greek athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games.-Medalists:Greece finished in 17th position in the final medal rankings, with four gold medals and 13 medals overall.- Gold:...

entered first, and Australia went last. Greece entering first and Australia entering last were symbols of the host countries of the next two Summer Olympics: Greece would host the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, while Australia hosted these.

As in the last Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

in Atlanta and the last Winter Olympics

1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...

in Nagano

Nagano, Nagano

, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146...

, the countries entered in English alphabetical order. This would also be seen during the next Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

, in Salt Lake City, as well.

Dare To Dream

John Farnham

John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...

and Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...

walked among the Olympic competitors and sang the song "Dare to Dream", which was written especially for the occasion by award winning songwriters Paul Begaud, Vanessa Corish and Wayne Tester. Begaud and Corish are Australian natives, born and raised in Sydney.

Opening Addresses

The President of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Organising Committee (SOCOG), Michael Knight

Michael Knight (Australian politician)

Michael Steven Knight AO is a former Australian politician. He was member for Campbelltown in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1981 and 2001. He served as Minister for the Olympics between 1995 and 2001 in the Carr Labor government.- Education :Knight attended Doonside High School...

, and the President of the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

, Juan Antonio Samaranch

Juan Antonio Samaranch

made the opening addresses. The event was officially opened by Governor General

Governor-General of Australia

The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...

Sir William Deane

William Deane

Sir William Patrick Deane, AC, KBE, QC , Australian judge and the 22nd Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:William Deane was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He was educated at Catholic schools including St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in...

. This was the first occasion that a Summer Olympics held in a Commonwealth realm was not opened by the monarch or a member of the Royal Family,.

The Olympic Flag

The Olympic Flag was carried around the arena by eight former Australian Olympic champions: Bill Roycroft

Bill Roycroft

James William "Bill" George Roycroft OBE was an Olympic equestrian champion who competed for Australia in five consecutive Summer Olympic Games: 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976.He was born in Flowerdale, Victoria...

, Murray Rose

Murray Rose

Iain Murray Rose AM was born on 6 January 1939 in Nairn, Scotland, but he moved to Australia with his family at an early age after World War II. He took up swimming as a boy and was an Olympic Games champion at age 17....

, Liane Tooth, Gillian Rolton

Gillian Rolton

Gillian Rolton is a former Olympics equestrian champion from Australia. She competed in two Olympic Games — 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics, Both times riding her horse, Peppermint Grove, named after Peppermint Grove in Western Australia.She was one of the eight flag-bearers...

, Marjorie Jackson

Marjorie Jackson

Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, AC, CVO, MBE is a former Governor of South Australia and a former Australian athlete...

, Lorraine Crapp

Lorraine Crapp

Lorraine Crapp is a former Olympic swimming champion representing Australia. She competed in two Olympic Games — the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. She won two Olympic gold medals in 1956...

, Michael Wenden

Michael Wenden

Michael Vincent Wenden AM MBE was a champion swimmer who represented Australia in the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics...

and Nick Green

Nick Green (rower)

Nicholas "Nick" David Green OAM is a former Australian Olympics rowing champion. He was educated at Xavier College in Kew, Melbourne and at Melbourne High School....

. During the raising of the Olympic Flag, the Olympic Hymn was sung in Greek by the Millennium Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia is the Australian archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.- Archbishop of Australia...

Cauldron

The opening ceremony concluded with the lighting of the Olympic Flame

Olympic Flame

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...

. Tina Arena

Tina Arena

Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...

and the Sydney Children's Choir performed The Flame before former Australian Olympic champion Herb Elliott

Herb Elliott

Herbert James "Herb" Elliott AC MBE is a former Australian athlete, one of the world's greatest middle distance runners...

brought the Olympic Flame into the stadium. Then, celebrating 100 years of women's participation in the Olympic Games, former Australian women Olympic champions: Betty Cuthbert

Betty Cuthbert

Elizabeth Cuthbert AM, MBE is an Australian athlete, and a fourfold Olympic champion....

and Raelene Boyle

Raelene Boyle

Raelene Ann Boyle, AM, MBE, , Australian athlete, represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals. In 1998, Boyle was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia.-Early life:Boyle was born on 24 June 1951, the daughter of...

, Dawn Fraser

Dawn Fraser

Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....

, Shirley Strickland

Shirley Strickland

Shirley Barbara Strickland AO, MBE , later Shirley de la Hunty, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports.-Family:...

(later Shirley Strickland de la Hunty), Shane Gould

Shane Gould

Shane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...

and Debbie Flintoff-King

Debbie Flintoff-King

Debra Lee Flintoff-King , born 20 April 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria, is a retired Australian athlete, and winner of the women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.-Athletics career:...

brought the torch through the stadium, handing it over to Cathy Freeman

Cathy Freeman

Catherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM is former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame.Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal...

. Freeman then climbed a long set of stairs towards a circular pond. She walked into the middle of the water and ignited the cauldron around her feet in a circle of fire. The planned spectacular climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a computer switch that malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When the cause of the problem was discovered, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued its course, and the ceremony concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.

Opening Ceremony music information

It came to light during August 2008 that the Sydney Symphony

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...

mimed its performance during the opening ceremony to tracks prerecorded by the Sydney Symphony and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...

General information

Ceremony credits include executive producer of the opening ceremony, Ric Birch
Ric Birch
Ric Birch, born in Australia. Former Rock TV producer and director.He started his career studying Law, but his lifetime profession took him down a different path...

. The stadium's English-language announcer for the Opening Ceremony was Australian actor John Stanton.

The wife of Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...

, the IOC President, was seriously ill and was not able to accompany her husband to the Olympics (she died the following day, from cancer). Therefore, Samaranch invited former Australian Olympic Champion swimmer, Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....

, to accompany him at the ceremony. Dawn Fraser explained some of the cultural references in the display section to him.

The young girl singer, who featured throughout much of the early part of the opening ceremony, was Nikki Webster
Nikki Webster
Nikki Webster is an Australian pop performer. She is best known for her starring role in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and her single "Strawberry Kisses".-Recording career:...

. Other musical performers taking part during the opening ceremony were Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...

and John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...

(who sang the duet "Dare to Dream" while walking among the athletes), Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.-Early life:...

(who sang "Heroes Live Forever" while a huge cloth was lowered down to cover the athletes - with sporting images and the image of a white dove of peace then being displayed on the cloth) and Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...

(who sang "The Flame").

Television coverage

Seven Network: Australia - Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

Australia's live and exclusive broadcast of the Opening Ceremony began at 6.30pm (AEDST) with half an hour of preparations live at the stadium. The official countdown concluded at exactly 7.00pm. Hosts and commentators included Bruce McAvaney
Bruce McAvaney
Bruce William McAvaney OAM is an Australian sports broadcaster with the Seven Network, well-known for his commentary of Australian rules football matches as well as covering every Summer Olympic Games from Moscow 1980 until Beijing 2008.- Early years :The son of an Adelaide accountant, McAvaney...

, Gary Wilkinson
Gary Wilkinson
Gary Wilkinson is an English professional snooker player.- Career :Wilkinson turned professional in 1987, and climbed the rankings to reach the no. 5 spot in the world within four seasons. He failed to sustain these results and has never won a ranking tournament, losing in the final of the 1991...

and Sandy Roberts
Sandy Roberts
Sandy Roberts is the weeknight sports presenter of Seven News Melbourne.Roberts grew up on a sheep farm in Lucindale, South Australia. After completing school he moved to Adelaide where he worked as a sports writer for the Adelaide Advertiser...

. The commentator for the Indigenous segment "Awakening" was Australian Indigenous actor and TV personality Ernie Dingo
Ernie Dingo
Ernie Dingo AM is an Indigenous Australian actor and television presenter originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison region of Western Australia.-Background:...

. The only cut to an ad-break was during the Marching Band segment.

NBC: United States - NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

cut the Tin Symphony segment out of its broadcast, plus the James Morrison
James Morrison (musician)
James Morrison AM is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing...

portion of the Anthem segment.

TVNZ: New Zealand - TVNZ viewers experienced a technical problem with their satellite feed during the "Prelude" and "Welcome" segments and therefore did not see the Countdown live.

BBC: United Kingdom - BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

Television covered the ceremony from 9am BST. BBC1 showed the coverage until 1.00 when the coverage moved to BBC2 due to the overrun coverage. Steve Rider
Steve Rider
Stephen Rider is an English sports presenter, and was the anchorman of ITV's football coverage, which included the Champions League, England Internationals, the FA Cup and the 2006 World Cup. He anchored ITV's Formula One coverage from 2006 to 2008, and football coverage from 2006 to April 2010...

and Sue Barker
Sue Barker
Susan Barker, MBE is an English television presenter and former professional tennis player. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French Open and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3...

hosted and Barry Davies
Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...

was the commentator for the ceremony.

External links

Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony - The Official Report of the XXVII Olympiad
Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony - Australian Special Events

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Prelude

Welcome

Anthem

Deep Sea Dreaming

Awakening

Nature

Tin Symphony

Arrivals

A New Era and Eternity

Sydney 2000 Olympic Band

Parade of Nations

Dare To Dream

Opening Addresses

The Olympic Flag

Cauldron

Opening Ceremony music information

General information

Television coverage

See also

External links