Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Opening Ceremony (September 15, 2000)

Sourced from The Sun Herald (September 17, 2000)

Today (September 15) is exactly 25 years to the day since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games commenced. On the evening of September 15, 2000, the Opening Ceremony was held at Stadium Australia (now ACCOR Stadium) before a crowd of 110,000 people. 

The ceremony began at 7 pm when a solo horseman rode into the stadium, cracked his whip and was joined by 120 other riders carrying Australian Flags to represent horse riders within Australian culture - Light Horse Brigade, Melbourne Cup or simply out on the land to a musical number from The Man From Snowy River.

This was followed by the welcoming of the official party, including IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and Governor General Sir William Deane, and the national anthem performed by Julie Anthony and Human Nature. 

Those present and TV viewers around the world were treated to a presentation of Australian Geography, History and Culture with the following segments:

• Deep Sea Dreaming (Aboriginal Dreamtime)
• Awakening (Indigenous Australians)
• Fire
• Nature
• Tin Symphony (Colonial Australia)
• Arrivals (Immigration)
• Eternity (Australian Workers)

Sourced from The Daily Telegraph (September 16, 2000)

Just prior to the parade of Athletes, the Millennium Marching Band also presented a segment. 

This was followed by the Athletes Parade. Australia, as the host nation, was the last nation to enter and was given a massive welcome with Andrew Gaze (Basketballer) carrying the flag.  

Sourced from The Sun Herald (September 17, 2000)

Once the Athletes Parade concluded, there were the formalities in this order:

• John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John performed Dare to Dream
• Address by SOCOG President - Michael Knight
• Address by IOC President - Juan Antonio Samaranch
• Olympics declared officially open by Governor General Sir William Deane (First non-royal to open a Summer Olympic Games in a Commonwealth nation)
• Vanessa Amorosi performed Heroes live forever - a massive white flag projected images as it passed over the audience in the southern grandstand, and then covered the entire field.
• Raising of the Olympic Flag
• Taking of the Olympic Oath by athletes and officials
• Lighting of the Cauldron
• The final runners were Betty Cuthbert (aided by Raylene Boyle in her wheelchair), Dawn Fraser, Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Shane Gould and Debbie Flintoff King. They were selected as a tribute to 100 years of women's participation in the Olympic Games
• Cathy Freeman was bestowed with lighting the cauldron. The cauldron was placed in a pool of water. Freeman lit the cauldron from the middle of the pool and rose around her. It would ascend up a waterfall in the northern stand and would rest on a silver pedestal above the stadium 
• Fireworks Finale

Sourced from The Sun Herald (September 17, 2000)

Below are newspaper front pages from the Opening Ceremony.

 

Our Series continues next week.

Entries in this series

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Sydney wins the Games (1993)

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: The Torch Relay