Centennial Olympic Park July 4, 2014. Courtesy of Georgia World Congress Center Authority. Next page: Crowds at the Olympic
Stadium. Courtesy of Ed Jackson.
A CASE STUDY IN GEORGIA’S
BUSINESS HISTORY
1996 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
Atlanta hosted the Centennial Summer Olympic Games from July 19-August 4, 1996. This was the
largest event in the city’s history and it helped establish Atlanta as the business and sports capital of the
Southeast. Atlanta spent millions of dollars in preparation for the Games, including building new sports
venues, improving streets and sidewalks, and altering housing patterns. The Centennial Games brought
global attention and investment to Atlanta.
BIDDING PROCESS
In 1987, Atlanta attorney Billy Payne and Mayor Andrew Young began developing a bid for Atlanta to host
the 1996 Centennial Olympics. The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) had the difcult job
of competing with other cities around the world—including Athens, Greece, home of the rst Olympics—for
the chance to host the Summer Games. Manchester, England; Toronto, Canada; and Belgrade, Yugoslavia
were also vying for the honor of hosting the 100th Olympic Games.
Committee members worked tirelessly to convince local business leaders, the U.S. Olympic committee,
and members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Atlanta was the best place to host the
Olympics. They published a two-volume document outlining the city’s plans for sporting events, nancial
support, and accommodations for visitors. Their hard work paid off: in September 1990, the IOC selected
Atlanta as the host of the 100th Olympic Games.
PREPARING FOR THE GAMES
Preparation for the 1996 Games took Atlanta almost six
years. The city expanded existing venues and built several
new buildings such as Olympic Stadium and McAuley
Aquatic Center to host sporting events. A lot of work went
into preparing the city to host millions of guests: roads were
repaired, sidewalks replaced, trees planted, new lighting
installed, and public art displayed.
People living in Techwood Homes—the rst public housing development in American history—perhaps
experienced the greatest upheaval during the city’s transformation. The Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA)
demolished Techwood Homes to build mixed-income housing and the Olympic Village that housed
Olympic competitors during the Games. Georgia State University turned the Olympic Village into student
dorms after the Games.
Clockwise, from left: Andrew
Young and Billy Payne
holding the ve-ringed
symbol of the Olympic
Games at the Atlanta
Organizing Committee
Celebration Parade.
Archives Division, Auburn
Avenue Research Library on
African American Culture
and History, Atlanta-Fulton
Public Library System;
Techwood Homes, 1993.
Library of Congress, Prints
& Photographs Division,
HABS GA-2257-C; Tickets to
the 1996 Olympic Games.
Courtesy of Ed Jackson;
Olympic Headline. Scanned
by the Georgia Historical
Society.
PAYING FOR THE GAMES
Have you ever wondered who pays to put on the Olympics? On average, a host city will spend $5.3 billion to
implement the Summer Games. The answer is a little complicated because there are multiple organizations
involved in making the Olympics happen, and every host city does things differently. Some host cities go into debt
or are forced to raise taxes on citizens to pay for the Games. The Atlanta Games were unique because organizers
placed very high importance on paying for the Games without causing nancial harm to the city of Atlanta.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the institution behind the Olympics. The IOC has many different
projects, but its biggest responsibility is making sure there is regular celebration of the Olympic Games. The
IOC selects the host city and provides support, but it is the job of the local organizing committees to make
all the practical and nancial arrangements for the Games. For example, the organizing committee has to
make sure the city has the right kind of venues and equipment needed for every competing sport. These
organizations also provide housing for athletes, organize cultural events, solve transportation problems, and
coordinate medical services.
The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) took on the responsibility of staging the 1996 Summer
Olympics. The non-prot, civic organization had the goal of using only privately-raised funds to present the
Games—something no other host city had done before. ACOG spent about $1.7 billion over six years to put on
the Games. The largest expense was construction, which represented 24 percent of the total money spent.
Where did the money come from? The biggest source of revenue, approximately 33 percent of the total, came
from selling the rights to broadcast the Olympics on
television. The IOC handled negotiating the broadcast
rights and shared the funds with ACOG. Another 5
percent of funds came from international corporate
ACOP/Joint venture
25%
Ticket sales
25%
Other revenue
10%
Merchandising
2%
Broadcast rights fees
33%
Corporate
sponsorships
5%
Left: Sources of revenue for the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Data from The Ofcial Report of the Centennial Olympic
Games. Above: Centennial Olympic Park Bricks. Courtesy of
GWCCA.
sponsorships negotiated by the IOC. ACOG created a joint venture with the United States Olympic Committee
to offer national sponsorships. This joint venture raised $426 million dollars for ACOG. Ticket sales and
ofcial merchandising helped round out ACOG’s budget.
Corporations and individuals also gave generously to support the Olympic Games. A great example of this
giving was the funding of Centennial Olympic Park. The $75 million needed to develop the park all came from
the private sector. Genuine Auto Parts donated land worth millions, and the Woodruff Foundation gave a
generous donation to kick-start the project. Thousands of individuals and businesses contributed to the park
by buying commemorative bricks. The approximately 500,000 bricks sold not only provided needed funds, but
also formed the Centennial Plaza and several pathways in the park.
Although ACOG used only private funds to host the games, government money was spent on infrastructure
projects, support for the Paralympic Games, and additional security. It is estimated that the federal
government provided $609 million for the 1996 Olympic Games. The majority of spending ($424 million) went
to highway, transit, public housing, and other capital improvements.
RECAPPING THE GAMES
The Olympic Games took place from July 19 through August 4. More than 2 million people visited Atlanta
during the Games and nearly 3.5 billion people around the world watched on television. The opening
ceremony on July 19, 1996, attracted a crowd of approximately 83,000 to Olympic Stadium. The ceremony
included an artistic showcase celebrating the history and culture of the American South and a special
tribute to the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali lit the
cauldron with the Olympic ame.
Clockwise, from left: Olympic fans in Atlanta. Courtesy
of Ed Jackson; Track and Field Race at Olympic Stadium.
Courtesy of Ed Jackson; Izzy and Olympic volunteer.
Courtesy of Ed Jackson.
Accompanying nearly 10,318 competitors were
millions of spectators and members of the
international press who traveled to Atlanta to watch
the world’s greatest athletes compete. All Olympic
host cities struggle with the logistics of hosting so
many people in a short span of time. This drastic
increase of people in the city resulted in transportation
and housing challenges. Some buses broke down,
drivers got lost, and trafc was congested.
Tragedy struck the Games on July 27 when Eric
Robert Rudolph set off a 40-pound pipe bomb at
Centennial Olympic Park, killing one person and
injuring more than 100. The fatal terrorist attack
disrupted the peaceful atmosphere that marked the
rst days of competition, but the Games continued
with increased security measures put in place. The
park reopened on July 29 with a moving ceremony
attended by 40,000 people.
The Games provided several rsts and many
exciting moments. Softball debuted as an Olympic
sport, along with beach volleyball, mountain biking,
lightweight rowing, and women’s soccer. Gymnast
Kerri Strug secured the U.S. women’s rst-ever
team gold medal, despite having an injured ankle.
American Michael Johnson became the rst man
in history to win the 200m and 400m at the same
Olympic Games. He also set a record by completing
the 200m in 19.32 seconds.
LASTING IMPACT
Although the Atlanta Games took place 20 years ago,
the effects of this historic event can still be seen in
the city’s landscape and economy. The most obvious
lasting symbol of the 1996 Games is Centennial
Olympic Park. This iconic space helped shift the
center of downtown to the northwest, drawing people,
businesses, and residential developers to the area.
In March 2016, the Georgia World Congress Center
Authority reported that since the 1996 Olympic
Games, Centennial Olympic Park has attracted
Top: 1996 Olympic Medal. Courtesy of Ed Jackson.
Bottom: View of Centennial Olympic Park from Above.
Courtesy of GWCCA.
$2.2 billion in new development downtown. This includes 9 hotels, 7 residential towers, and new attractions
such as the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, Center for Civil and Human Rights, College Football
Hall of Fame, and SkyView Atlanta. Olympic Stadium, which is now known as Turner Field, remains a staple
of Atlanta’s cityscape. The Stadium had been home to the Atlanta Braves baseball team from 1997 until their
move to a newly-built stadium in Cobb County in 2017. It now belongs to Georgia State University.
The attention Atlanta received from hosting the Olympics helped turn the city into a destination for
sporting events. Since the 1996 Games, Georgia’s capital has held events like the NCAA Men’s and
Women’s Final Four, Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome, and multiple professional All-Star games.
Many Atlanta-based companies saw large numbers of television viewers as an opportunity to promote
their businesses. Corporations such as Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and UPS spent millions
of dollars on television advertisements, solidifying these Georgia companies as nationally and even
internationally recognized brands. The Games contributed to making Atlanta the business capital of the
Southeast, boasting 18 Fortune 500 companies. Atlanta experienced new growth after the Games with
more corporations and talented people moving to the area.
Successfully hosting the Olympic Games brought international attention to the city of Atlanta. Business
leaders built on this recognition to attract new clients and investors to Georgia. All this success started
with the vision of leaders like Billy Payne and Andrew Young who believed in Atlanta’s ability to come
together and pull off a task that so many thought was impossible.
OLYMPIC SITES STILL USED TODAY
Centennial Olympic Park is the most recognizable physical legacy of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The site of
the park was once a run-down area, but it was transformed into the central gathering place for the Olympic
Games with $75 million in private-sector donations. The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA)
helped the state of Georgia manage development of the site and took over management of the park after
the games. The park now serves as the center of Atlanta’s downtown entertainment and hospitality district
with new restaurants, hotels, and
residential development along with
popular attractions like the Georgia
Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, the
Center for Civil and Human Rights, and
the College Football Hall of Fame.
The McAuley Aquatic Center has a
10.5-feet-deep, 10-lane pool built
to meet U.S. and international
standards. In 1996, the center
Fountain of Rings at Centennial Olympic
Park. Courtesy of GWCCA.
hosted Olympic swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo competitions. Today, the
center is home to the Georgia Tech swimming and diving teams. It is also used for classes, clubs, and
recreational swimming. In 2016, the U.S. Olympic swimmers used the facility to train for the Rio Olympics.
Lake Lanier Olympic Park served as the venue for events such as rowing, canoeing, and kayaking
during the 1996 Olympic Games. The Lake had been around for many years, but new stands and other
infrastructure were built for the Games. More recently, the site began a $10 million renovation project to
make it ADA accessible, in hopes of attracting more Paralympic events. In 2018, the venue will host the
Dragon Boat World Championships.
The Olympic Stadium housed the opening and closing ceremonies and all track and eld events for the
1996 Olympic Games. After the Games, Turner Field became home to the Atlanta Braves baseball team for
20 seasons until the team moved to a new stadium in Cobb County. Georgia State University bought the
property in a joint venture with private developers. The stadium will be repurposed for Panthers Football
and the surrounding area will be redeveloped with new housing and retail spaces. Some community
members are protesting the redevelopment because they believe it will lead to displacement of residents
currently living near the site.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Georgia Standards of Excellence, SS8H12, SS8E2, L-6-8RH1, L6-8WHST1
How did hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics impact Georgia? Hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics had
short-term and long-term impacts on the city of Atlanta and the State of Georgia. Describe at least two
short-term impacts and one long-term impact of hosting the Games.
Who should pay for Olympic Games? Leaders like Billy Payne and Andrew Young wanted to make sure
Atlanta did not get stuck in debt by hosting the Olympic Games. They formed ACOG and relied on revenue
from the Games and support from the private sector. In some countries, the government takes on the
responsibility of managing and paying for the Games. Imagine your city put you in charge of hosting the
Summer Olympics. How would you pay for it?
RESEARCH AND REPORT
Georgia Standards of Excellence, SS8H12, SS8E2, L-6-8RH1, L6-8WHST1, L6-8WHST7, L6-8WHST8, L6-
8WHST9
Research Question: How does the economic impact of hosting the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
compare to other Games?
Directions: Now that you have learned a little bit about the 1996 Summer Olympics, it is time to dig deeper.
There is so much more to discover about the Atlanta Games and its impact on Georgia’s economy and
society. Use the resources in the bibliography to get started on your research.
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Frank Ruechel, “New Deal Public Housing, Urban Poverty, and Jim Crow: Techwood and University Homes in Atlanta,”
Georgia Historical Quarterly 81 (winter 1997): 915-37.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Crowds at the Olympic Stadium. Courtesy of Ed Jackson. Next page: Centennial Olympic Park. Courtesy of GWCCA.
