Dates

The XXXVIIIth Olympiad will take place between 13 August - 29 August, 2004

Athens, Greece, was awarded the 2004 Olympic Games on 5 September, 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will be the third time Athens has hosted the Olympic Games. Greece is one of only five countries to have been in attendance at every Olympic Games since they began, in Athens, in 1986. The other countries being Great Britain, France, Switzerland and Australia. Athens hosted the first of our Modern day Olympic Games and 108 years later the Games will return to their birth place.
In the summer of 2004 all eyes will be on Athens Greece as the city hosts what might possibly become the most important Olympics ever. The Olympics in Athens may not be as spectacular as those held in Sydney, Australia. But they may be better!

ANCIENT OLYMPICS

The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Also, the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.
Like our Olympics, though, winning athletes were heroes who put their home towns on the map. One young Athenian nobleman defended his political reputation by mentioning how he entered seven chariots in the Olympic chariot-race. This high number of entries made both the aristocrat and Athens look very wealthy and powerful.

ATHENS OLYMPIC TRUCE www.olympictruce.org

On Monday 8 July 2002, during his visit to the island of Samos, Greece, to attend an international Symposium, former United States president William J. Clinton signed onto the "Statement of World Personalities, in their Individual Capacities, in Support for the Olympic Truce." His signature followed that of former South African President Nelson Mandela on June 19, 2002, and joins those of over 130 world personalities from the worlds of politics, religion, and culture. As far back as September 2000, President Clinton had sent a letter to Greek President Kostis Stephanopoulos expressing his support to the plea for the respect of the Olympic Truce during the Syndey 2000 Olympic Games.