We are not biased because we are Greeks; that ceremony truly had something different.
Almost 20 years have passed (August 13, 2004), since we welcomed the Olympic Games in Athens, the city that gave birth to them, and the whole world was talking about it. Such an important event should have had a corresponding, dazzling opening ceremony. And that’s exactly what happened.
For many, it may have been the first and iconic opening ceremony they had ever witnessed in their lives; even today, they still consider it truly different.
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A Choreography Epic
It’s not a matter of bias; just put side by side the respective ones from Beijing in 2008 or London in 2012, which, if we speak in cinematic terms, honestly look like two poorly written sequels.
In our opening ceremony of 2004, however, ancient Greece came to life before us, with a choreography that is still forgotten today. That countdown of 28 seconds (the same as the previous Olympics) which was followed by the fall of a comet from the Calatrava roof, the formation of the 5 Olympic Rings, and the traditional paper boat that crossed the artificial lake in the center of the Stadium was just the beginning for the greatness that would follow.
The night had many highlights, but what is still remembered today by those who were there that night at the Stadium, besides the “Zeibekiko of 2004,” a composition by Stavros Xarchakos, was the runner who depicted the course of the Games through time. At one moment, however, he fell.
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“We all thought he had stumbled and fallen. A huge and anxious “oooh” was heard from all around because we thought he had hurt himself,” says a viewer of that night even today. Ultimately, it was not an accident, but part of the choreography.
The runner’s fall essentially depicted the “pause” of the Olympic Games, and his new path essentially signified the connection with modern Olympics.
For the record, the 2004 Olympic Games took place from August 13 to 29, with 10,625 athletes (6,296 men and 4,329 women), along with 5,500 coaches and attendants, from 201 countries. Greek athletes, with the world at their side, won 16 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze), achieving the 15th best haul among participating countries.
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The cost of the Games may have exceeded 2.9 billion dollars, which was the normal budget and later became one of the reasons that the country fell into a deep economic crisis; however, even so, we have many beautiful memories to cherish from that August in our country.
The dazzling opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games remains the pinnacle in history and 20 years later is still recalled as if it happened just yesterday.
The Ratpack tribute takes us back in time to all those stories that composed the Olympic Ideal. Read the full tribute that will be updated daily by clicking the image below:
