Atlanta’s Olympic legacy: It’s there, even if not always obvious
OK, so not everything about our Olympics was splendiferous. In 16 years, we still haven't gotten over Izzy. (AJC photo by Joey Ivansco)
Sixteen summers ago, we were London. The eyes of the world — and not just that segment of the population that cares about sports — were on Atlanta. Some critics found us wanting. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the head of the International Olympic Committee, denied the Atlanta Games his customary “best ever” benediction. No matter.
We had the Olympics. Big things happened. Michael Johnson ran really fast. Kerri Strug made her valorous vault. The U.S. men and women won in basketball, and the U.S. women won in soccer. And there was, sad to say, a bomb explosion in Centennial Olympic Park that killed a woman named Alice Hawthorne.
We, meaning all of us Atlantans, have an Olympic legacy. But there are times when you have to look hard to see it. “Usually the icon for the Olympics is the Olympic Stadium,” said Bob Hope, an Atlanta public relations executive. “When you look at ours, you see the Braves’ stadium.”
Our Olympic Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field, began to become Turner Field almost as soon as the Olympic flame was doused. Speaking of which: The caldron that housed the flame, memorably lit by Muhammad Ali, now stands in a parking lot a block up Hank Aaron Drive.
“It just sits there,” said Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor who was chairman of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, speaking to the AJC’s Jill Vejnoska last year. “I pass right by it and don’t see it.”
Other than Centennial Olympic Park, which has become a focal point of downtown, there aren’t many visible points of reference to those 17 days in 1996. This was not some oversight. This was, on the contrary, by design.
Said A.D. Frazier, who was the chief operating officer for ACOG: “We didn’t build anything that didn’t have an after-use … The organizing committee had to use its own money, and we raised every penny of the $1.7 billion. We couldn’t afford to build monuments that weren’t going to be used for anything.”
Also this: “We were on a budget. We sweated over every nickel.”
And that’s the other part of our Olympic memory: The continuing wonder that those Games graced our burg at all. Before the Olympics, Atlanta was known mostly for Coca-Cola, Ted Turner’s cable network and our airport. Said Frazier: “If you look at the cities that have hosted the Summer Games — Rome, London, Mexico City — those are world-class cities. Having the Olympics puts you in a different class.”
More Frazier: “We’re certainly proud to have hosted the Olympics. It had a powerful impact on the way Atlanta people see themselves. For two weeks we were the center of attention in the whole world … Our Olympic legacy is that it set us up for some really good things to happen in the civic center.”
And maybe that’s it. Maybe we in Atlanta reacted to the Olympics the way we react to most things. “We move on,” Hope said. “That’s the nature of our town. Traditionally we haven’t honored great architecture or great buildings. We don’t have a great sense of heritage.”
Even if little about Turner Field recalls its Olympics usage — the same applies to the Georgia Dome, where gymnastics and basketball were staged on separate sides of a curtain — what would have been the alternative? Said Taz Anderson, an Atlanta entrepreneur: “I don’t know what you do with an Olympic stadium other than look at it … It was pretty clever to turn ours into a ballpark.”
Frazier: “I think all the cities in America would be happy not to have had to pay a penny for their baseball stadium.”
The 1996 Games were characterized in the world press as utilitarian at the center and crassly commercial on the periphery — Frazier: “Frankly, I couldn’t give a damn what the Times of London says” — but nobody can say they left Atlanta in the financial lurch. If some folks were disappointed they didn’t make as much money as they’d hoped, no taxpayer can say he still feels the burden from those 17 days of 16 years ago.
Contrast this with Montreal, which was in debt for three decades after its 1976 Summer Games. Or with the 2000 Sydney Games, which needed a late infusion of government money for its show to go on. Or with London, which is, according to Forbes, spending between $15 to $20 billion (the bulk from public money) on its Games.
In the main, the Atlanta Games were a success — for Atlanta. Maybe not for the Times of London or the sawed-off Samaranch, but for those of us who remained after those 17 days. “I don’t know anyone who didn’t have a wonderful experience going to those Olympics,” Hope said, and the 16 intervening years haven’t been all bad, either.
Said Anderson: “Centennial Park is the most concrete part [of our legacy], with the kids playing in the rings. [The Park] cleaned up a whole side of town. That’s been very positive … Centennial Park was for Atlanta the remaining icon, and that’s pretty good.”
Frazier: “The legacy I see is that a lot of people who live around here came downtown Atlanta and saw a lot of potential. The Midtown expansion, the Georgia Tech expansion — I can’t give the Olympics credit for all of that, but I think of the Olympics as the ink track in the water.”
Now, if we could just find a better place for that caldron …
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
143 comments Add your comment
Flacons never learn
August 10th, 2012
11:36 am
FIST!!!
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2012
11:37 am
Fist?
Flacons never learn
August 10th, 2012
11:39 am
I ment first!
jose
August 10th, 2012
11:40 am
If they are only spending $15-20 MILLION, they are gettng the deal of a lifetime but I think you really meant to say “BILLION”.
Nick Purdy
August 10th, 2012
11:41 am
billion not million Mark
jose
August 10th, 2012
11:41 am
ment?
TechDan
August 10th, 2012
11:43 am
I’ve always wondered why the cauldron never made it over to Centennial. I suppose it’s too large and would visually dominate the park, but with the expansion of Pemberton Place, the continuous park is huge and could probably host the Cauldron these days. It would certainly be better than standing over a random intersection a couple blocks from the stadium.
Scotty
August 10th, 2012
11:46 am
I think part of the effort went toward a big time fiber optic network that remains in place today. Hey, I’m using it now!
Sean
August 10th, 2012
11:54 am
I might be in the minority, but I actually like where the cauldron is located. You can see it from the highway (which wouldn’t be the case if it were moved to Centennial Park), and I like that it hasn’t gone far from where it sat during the Olympics.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2012
11:54 am
I did mean billion. Thanks.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2012
11:55 am
Kdos, Flacons.
Tana
August 10th, 2012
11:55 am
I think the way that Atlanta was able to utilize already structured localesand by transforming other ones made the city not idiots who left a giant billion dollar bird’s nest (which was ugly) empty.
Atlanta did the Olympics in way that benefited the city itself for the next decades to come. People get caught up ion the Olympics “lasting a lifetime”. No chances are you only will eveer host them for 17 days. It’s great to have sights like Centennial Olympic Park where you can go and remember those 1996 Games.
On the other hand….I have lived in Atlanta and I very much see the Olympics. When I go to a Braves game with rookies, I love explaining to them how our stadium was built to be transformed into a baseball field.
I’m from Covington, Georgia and the Horse Park in Conyers has been a great addition to the Conyers area and the excitement of our little square when the Olympic torch ran by was unbelievable.
I totally agree that this city ran an Olympic Games that will forever be remembered by our city. It is our legacy to rise from the ashes, and not to say our games burned our global perception….but if you think of it that way then we did exactly what we are best at.
Adapting.
Guy Bailey
August 10th, 2012
11:55 am
Maybe its different for me being an incomer and a Brit but I do scratch my head at the lack of an Olympic Legacy for the ATL – one half of a baseball stadium, that drunks climbing frame next to the connector and a couple of fountains in downtown – not much to show IMO, and I love Atlanta.
Benjamin
August 10th, 2012
11:55 am
My run of firsts has been broken. Hold the mantle well, Flacons never learn. Hold the mantle well.
Further, I like our leaders’ view of the ‘96 Games. Very practical view from a group of people not always known for being, well, practical.
captaindave
August 10th, 2012
11:57 am
Mark:
Great viewpoints in your column.
To emphasize your points, do some research on the status of the last two summer Olympic stadiums. My understanding is that the Athens stadium is abandoned and in a state of complete disrepair. The Beijing stadium is not abandoned but neither is it used for anything except a tiny handful of events each year.
The contrast of these cities better highlights the points you communicated in your column.
TC
August 10th, 2012
11:58 am
Before the Olympics we claimed to be an international city but we knew we weren’t really. After the Olympics we are an international city and we wish we could go back!
Hillbilly D
August 10th, 2012
11:59 am
Maybe its different for me being an incomer and a Brit but I do scratch my head at the lack of an Olympic Legacy for the ATL –
It’s the traditional Atlanta way, tear it down, pave it over, forget about it.
Guy Bailey
August 10th, 2012
12:01 pm
Hillbilly – so I understand. As my ATL wife would say: “Forget it Guy, It’s Cabbagetown…”
done
August 10th, 2012
12:03 pm
Now, if we could just find a better place for that caldron
how about the garbage dump…it’s just plain ugly.
DeepDiver
August 10th, 2012
12:05 pm
I think that Izzy may have a slight edge over the current set of mascots.
Also, as a London resident, I can say that the NHS sucks and should not be celebrated in front of the rest of the world (although the ideology of equal access to health care is noble). The best and brightest in UK medicine go elsewhere to ply their craft.
TC
August 10th, 2012
12:07 pm
Their celebration of the health system makes our stainless steel Chevy pickups at the opening ceremonies look cool!
Guy Bailey
August 10th, 2012
12:09 pm
Deepdiver – NHS, yer jokin arn yer? – although this column is not the time and place to discuss the NHS and the BBC are the two institutions that we’ll go to the matresses for – British, public, effective, loved and they work.
The Anti-Gnostic
August 10th, 2012
12:23 pm
Good column Mark.
To me, the fundamental problem is that the Olympics have gotten so big, requiring massive public outlays. Viewed in this light, the AOC can be rightfully proud that they didn’t leave citizens with billions in debt. (Not that there weren’t plenty of other externalities).
Atlanta is not a “world-class” town, even though a lot of the world comes here. The city is less than 200 years old. Not every place gets to be Paris or Rome, and it took them many centuries to attain that status. Thirty five years after its founding, much of Atlanta was burned down. It was never more than a provincial capital in a provincial region, and probably will always have that character. I say this as a proud native.
The Games have too many events–most having nothing to do with the martial character of classical athletics–and too much government involvement. They should be small, strictly amateur, and privately funded.
DeepDiver
August 10th, 2012
12:27 pm
The NHS is understaffed, underfunded and encumbered by unwieldy bureaucracy. My wife recently gave birth at Chelsea & Westminster hospital and we were appalled at the quality of the services offered throughout the whole process, especially on the day.
You are correct — not the time or place — so I won’t get into specifics. Suffice to say it felt like we were in a developing country, instead of a leading international city. Now there are plans to close off two hospitals in nearby Hammersmith, putting further strain on C&W.
BBC is great and puts NBC to shame in terms of Olympics coverage.
Jtb
August 10th, 2012
12:28 pm
You could add the vast improvements made by Georgia State as something made possible thanks to the Olympics.
Grantland Rice
August 10th, 2012
12:32 pm
Great write up Mark and a lot of great memories for me. The men’s 100 meter finals is still the greatest sporting event I’ve ever attended. 3 false starts, the tension in the stadium was palpable, you could have heard a pin drop in the stadium just before the starter’s gun. And then a world record from Bailey, the stadium erupted. He was in 3rd place at 60 meters, then hit the turbo! So glad I was able to attend some truly incredible performances.
jwc
August 10th, 2012
12:38 pm
I got in my car and drove (no bike trail, no sidewalk) from Peachtree City, turned left on Peachtree then another right on Peachtree to Peachtree corners. I parked on Peachtree and took a bus to Peachtree station, catching Marta after a scary thirty minute underground wait. At the end of the ride I got out at Peachtree and had to take a bus to the ball field where I think I saw remnants of the 1996 Olympics. I was so very proud at our foresight and creativity.
TC
August 10th, 2012
12:42 pm
My most distinct memory is of being on the street around Ga Tech when some runners came by on a training run. They were going so fast and yet seemed to glide (ala Hank Aaron running down a line drive) and they were hardly breathing. World class athletes are different from you and me.
George V
August 10th, 2012
12:44 pm
The Olympic caldron is being maintained, recently repainted it looks like it did 16 years ago (BTW – it looks great!). The land it stands on is part of a TAD that seems to have stalled. We need some good ideas to revive the TAD and convert the parking lot back drop into something more adorning of the Centenntial Olympic Caldron. Olympic Caldron Park has a nice ring to it. Ok naysayers, flame on! Get it, I said flame
Grantland Rice
August 10th, 2012
12:51 pm
TC, great post. I attended my first water polo match (US/Croatia). A really close, hard fought contest up and down the pool. After the match & a brief huddle, the US team was back in the pool swimming laps. Amazing.
Rambo
August 10th, 2012
12:52 pm
What happened to the beautiful world class warmup track on the old Cheney site?
What happened to the beautiful stadium on the Morris Brown campus? The stadiums at Morehouse and Clark are well maintained and well used. What happened to the beautiful first class shooting venue?…I believe it is now a flop as a concert venue.
T-Bone
August 10th, 2012
1:07 pm
Great article, Mark. I couldn’t agree more. I was there in 1996 and had a great time. And I agree with Frazier. I don’t give a damn what the rest of the world thinks. We hosted an Olympics, everybody had a great time, there were some phenomenal memories, and we came out in the black. That ain’t bad.
But I am tired of the rest of the world looking down their self-righteous noses at us–the snub by London in their opening ceremonies was uncalled for. And I do wish Atlanta would use these great facilities to host some pre-Olympic type events (qualifying meets, etc.). The Aquatics Center at Tech could certianly do that.
And let’s find a better place for the caldron.
GT Alum
August 10th, 2012
1:09 pm
There’s plenty of remnants of the Olympics. Things weren’t just torn down and paved over. Maybe there’s not Olympic logos and names on things, but there’s plenty of things to remember the Olympics from. The Olympic Village dorms haven’t sunk into the ground and have been used as dorms first by GSU, then by Tech (which badly needed them).
And I don’t see why people complain about changing the old Olympic stadium into Turner Field. Would people rather we have done like Montreal and used the Olympic stadium as a baseball field in its original configuration? I never went there, but based on how much I remember hearing people complain about it, it was in the running for one of the worst parks in baseball.
The fact of the matter is you aren’t likely to need all these venues after the Games, so you either re-purpose them and use them, or you spend huge amounts of public money not only to construct them but to maintain them as expensive monuments or you let them fall into disrepair and have them serve as dilapidated monuments. Personally, I think the first option is the best, and I’m glad it’s the one Atlanta used. Maybe it didn’t always succeed, but that’s probably at least as much a fault of the hands they were left in as a result of poor planning by the Olympic committee.
lordporkchop
August 10th, 2012
1:11 pm
There are of course hits and misses as far as our Olympic legacy is concerned. I remember the intention being to let many venues disappear afterwards. Stone Mountain Park now has a trail and bird habitat where the cycling cleodrome stood. I used to use it often when I lived on that side of town. The Olympic village became dorms for Ga State and now Tech (I think). The remain a visible sign of those games along the connector in downtown (and still look pretty pleasant compared to what was there before). Centennial Park is helping to bring some positive development back to the downtown area. Of course there are misses- the tennis at Stone Mountain Park off Park Place and Hwy 78 is crumbling. But for the most part, the games did do a lot of positive things for the city without being a financial burden for the citizens. And it was an awesome time. Solid post today.
lordporkchop
August 10th, 2012
1:14 pm
GT Alum- As a UGA alum, I’m dismayed that we seem to agree on so much. I’m sure that won’t be the case in November. Way to steal my thunder. And of course, Go Dawgs.
sidslid
August 10th, 2012
1:21 pm
Sore spot for me are attendance and logisticis. The Dome was packed for prelim gymnastics. 40,000 people per game at EXHIBITION baseball. All the smaller sports at the World Congress Center filled with people. I think we had 11,000,000. Look at all the empty seats in every Olympics after ours.
On the logistics side, a good friend of mine had attended many Olympics. He said a big problem was getting people to the venues and the events and awards ceremonies running late. Every track meet I ever attended lagged behind because once one event is late, it cascades. My friend remarked the events and ceremonies went off like clockwork and transportation was far superior to any others he had attended.
We will never get the credit thanks to Juan the Don and the media not getting enough roast beef sandwiches on the bus, but I can’t see a future Olympics touching our attendance or fiscal responsibility.
sidslid
August 10th, 2012
1:24 pm
One other thing. London’s opening ceremonies s##ked. I thought for sure they would get the distinguished Roger Bannister to light the flame. Still can’t figure out what was going on there. And then the bow to socialized medicine where American life expectancy is years greater than the Brits.
Atlanta is Corrupt
August 10th, 2012
1:41 pm
Bill the Crook Campbell, the convicted felon, did all he could to trash the 96 games, from the push carts (many never sold, still in storage) to extortion of vendors, imho. Never, ever trust an Atlanta politician!
Yellowja
August 10th, 2012
1:43 pm
It is funny because I was just thinking about the caldron this morning. I always wondered why Atlanta didn’t consider moving it to Centential Olympic park and make it a bigger part of the park. I would imagine that it could be moved cheaply over there and make it a lasting symbol with greater visibility.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 10th, 2012
1:47 pm
Not having massive post-Olympic debt is a legacy to be proud of in and of itself. I wish they had taken the opportunity fifteen years ago to expand MARTA, though, since it’s never going to happen now.
dre
August 10th, 2012
1:50 pm
Atlanta is Corrupt, you stole my thunder. Our Olympic legacy, Bill Campbell, is in jail somewhere.
TC
August 10th, 2012
1:51 pm
Actually sidslid, according to a National Geographic chart I’m looking at our life expectancy is 78 years and the UK is 79.2. But we should catch up since we spend $7290 per capita and they spend $2992.
Old Boy
August 10th, 2012
1:58 pm
Don’t forget that the previous Olympics had been held in Barcelona, Samaranch’s home. Probably had a big influence on his slight.
Realtycheck
August 10th, 2012
2:17 pm
The carpetbaggers and scalawags who rebuilt Atlanta from the ashes continue to this day. IOC was just sore they got out hustled.
Heisenberg
August 10th, 2012
2:34 pm
Could be worse. Beijing has plenty of reminders of the games they hosted 4 short summers ago.
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympics-before-and-after-beijing-s-2008-olympic-venues-four-years-later-slideshow/bird-s-nest-2008-photo-1340387759.html
Druid Hills
August 10th, 2012
2:39 pm
…… and the Atlanta Braves won the World Series the year before in 1995,
without Turner Field.
Andy
August 10th, 2012
2:41 pm
Frankly, I don’t see how (or why) a city would do it any other way than what Atlanta did. I’m all for preserving the memories and legacy of the games to the extent practicable, but to leave these million (now billion) dollar venues to sit there as museums is insane and a waste of money. Maybe China can afford that, but I doubt other countries/cities can. Atlanta should be used as a model for other cities wanting to host the games without paying for it for the next 30 years, like Montreal. London is already such an expensive city–I imagine it will be even more so after these games.
JSS
August 10th, 2012
3:00 pm
No, no, no!!! They could have run a debt-free games and left a “real” sports legacy with some true foundations of structures that could have built a true foundation of non-traditional sports. It is their great failure… They lied about what the athletics stadium (track and field) was going to be in the end… We are still paying three debts (Phillips, post games yes but it should have been part of the Olympic build and saved a ton of costs), the failure to expand MARTA is like a burning tire around all of our necks, and lastly almost all of the venues have passed into a state of non-athletic uses… We should have gained far more… There is not one Track and field facility in this country off of a college campus worthy of world-class meet excluding the Home Depot complex in the LA area… That is just sad for an area that stocks the men and women track and field teams to be so woeful!
Puck Like A Porn Star
August 10th, 2012
3:10 pm
Best Bradley article EVER.
But if the Cauldron gets moved to Centennial Olympic Park, it was my idea first. It should be moved to the entrance on Baker across from Pemberton Place and lit up on the Fourth of July and Atlanta’s founding day(s) just to tick off the IOC. Who’s in charge of the Cauldron and all the ACOG trademarks anyway? They should sell Atlanta 1996 souvenirs even now!
JSS
August 10th, 2012
3:13 pm
Nobody is going to use the “Atlanta model” for financing the games… Toronto has run fast and hard from it… Chicago tried a model of it and did not make it out of the first round of voting… The next three games will go to places who have deep pockets (Brazil ethanol money, Indonesia 2020 front runner Oil, and 2024 maybe Paris or Moscow)… The Atlanta model is a myth…
Atlanta Olympics 2020
August 10th, 2012
3:22 pm
Let’s get the Falcons a new home tax-free AND revitalize English Avenue and the Bluffs. The Olympic Village is all set: just kick out the nerds. And this time, host all the events in-state, screw Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. That Paralympics mascot, Blaze, should have been the Olympics mascot in 1996, so they can redeem themselves this time. Time to get rich (again)!
dawgfan
August 10th, 2012
3:23 pm
I think I remember Michael Johnson complaining about how there was nowhere to warm up at olympic stadium. They had to warm up off site somewhere and then hop on a bus to get to the stadium for their compeition. This is not how world class track and field meets are ran.
If that’s not Atlanta I don’t know what is though. Almost everything is ruined by traffic and logistical nightmares.
Thanks.
eddie willers
August 10th, 2012
3:26 pm
The world came looking for Scarlett and Rhett but found Bill Campbell and Munson Steed instead.
JSS
August 10th, 2012
3:29 pm
Like the exodus, they are to wait for two generations to die off before the word: “Atlanta” does not cause Swine flu like symptoms throughout the Olympic movement! Maybe those hustlers in Dallas can pull it off (stink eye)!
VolGuy
August 10th, 2012
3:32 pm
I think your description of the games as utilitarian is pretty much correct. The Olympics has become bloated with everything short of marbles being an Olympic sport. The whole thing is too much for one city to undertake. I think the Atlanta organizers are justifiably proud that the city was left with no debt. As far as the cladron is concerned, I have always concerned it ugly – a McDonald’s fry box on top of an erector set. Izzy and the pickup trucks in the opening ceremonies were awful. The worst was all the crappy booths that were sold to unsuspecting people by Mayor Excon and his buddies.
Tumbledown
August 10th, 2012
3:39 pm
I had a blast at the 96 Olympics. My memories of attending various events will never fade. On the plus side, the city was not left with debt. On the negative side, the curse of Turner Field began. Its first trick during its infancy was to place a spell on its neighbor at the time, Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, causing the Braves to lose three straight home games against the Yankees in the 96 WS.
dougmo2
August 10th, 2012
3:52 pm
Mark,
I remember 1996. I made a lot of money because of my buddy, Bill Campbell.
-Munson Sneed
ben
August 10th, 2012
4:02 pm
I loved every second of the Olympics here. And as far as host cities being world class…. Athens is a giant dump!
Blazerdawg
August 10th, 2012
4:10 pm
More spectators than the three previous Summer Olympics COMBINED, first time EVERY country participated, NO auto traffic, GREAT entertainment, FLAWLESS venues, good weather, cool hotels, great athletic performances, inspiring opening ceremony (moments worth of pick-up trucks was no weirder or tackier than in other comparable shows), Muhammed Ali, awesome Marathon course on Peachtree, and a unique gathering place and legacy in Centennial Olympic Park.
It was a great and well executed event, particularly given the scale – over twice as many spectators over the London Games.
Just returned from a few “world class” cities and would take Atlanta over any of them.
Move and celebrate the goofy cauldron. Maybe enhance it a bit.
MB – very considerate of you to reference Ms. Hawthorne in this context.
Proud Altantan
August 10th, 2012
4:20 pm
@ JSS
You whine on every blog. Atlanta is a great town. ALL cities have their problems. Please GO BACK to the rock you where born under.
Shug
August 10th, 2012
4:22 pm
No city has come out of hosting an Olympics in better shape than Atlanta. I’m surprise there isn’t more talk of an Atlanta-model for hosting the games.
(By the way, didn’t that dimwit crook Samaranch proclaim Sarajevo that greatest Olympic city?)
Simon Bar Sinister
August 10th, 2012
5:42 pm
The most important thing Tech got from the Olympics was no great new dorms or a world-class aquatic center, although both of those are great.
No, the best thing Tech got was real grass in Grant Field.
Paul in NH
August 10th, 2012
5:46 pm
sidslid
August 10th, 2012
1:24 pm
One other thing. London’s opening ceremonies s##ked. I thought for sure they would get the distinguished Roger Bannister to light the flame. Still can’t figure out what was going on there. And then the bow to socialized medicine where American life expectancy is years greater than the Brits.
——
If by “American” you mean “Canadian” you are correct. The life expectancy in the UK is greater than that in the US. This comes from that noted socialist organization the CIA.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html
Bernie
August 10th, 2012
5:50 pm
The Legacy left behind is a lot like Atlanta Politics! If you are politically connected, Your friends, family, relatives and associates were able to see many of the most popular events up close and for FREE! You were even being paid directly or indirectly for your efforts while you watched!
Meanwhile, delivering an inferior and costly product that would not last or be remembered only in terms of disappointment and disorganization.
In the end with disappointing results that will remain a constant reminder throughout Olympic History for other future HOST cities never to REPEAT!
Paul in NH
August 10th, 2012
5:52 pm
Shug
August 10th, 2012
4:22 pm
No city has come out of hosting an Olympics in better shape than Atlanta. I’m surprise there isn’t more talk of an Atlanta-model for hosting the games.
—–
You do know LA did quite well out of their games don’t you?
Billy Knight
August 10th, 2012
5:58 pm
Great Article Mark….I’ve been saying this for years….Atlanta got no credit for putting on a great Olympic Games but in my opinion it might not have been the spectacular light show that China had or what London just put on…but for the time (1996) with the technology available we did pretty darn good. The main point in the Olympic committee rewarding a city the Olympic games is funding….and what the city’s plan would be to use all of the Olympic structures once the game leaves. And in my opinion, Atlanta has done the best job in the past 40 years in accomplishing this feat…..We are not burden with debt….the braves have one of the best looking stadiums in baseball, and we put on a pretty darn good show. The only reason our city really gets a bad rap is because of the bombing took place which wasn’t the city’s fault….it was the fault of a lunatic.
JSS
August 10th, 2012
6:09 pm
So-called “Proud Atlantan,” You are a liar, but hey it that floats your lying boat, be my guest!
There were a lot of things to like about the 1996 Games, but to try and re-write the legacy and immense failures in their execution is a fraud!
Everybody sees it EXCEPT for a certain segment of so-called provincial “Proud Atlantans.” The NFL sees it, the Trade Organization of the Americas saw it, and any rational person sees it!
The saddest part is that it is unsolvable. It is not left-wing or right-wing ideologue thing… You can fix it! It is not hard, but telling and believing a persistent lie won’t get it done!
Mark (another one)
August 10th, 2012
6:14 pm
I lived in LA in 84 and Atlanta in 96. I enjoyed both and was proud that both were well managed financially. I remember the IOC wanted LA to tear down the Colisium (where USC still plays) and build a new stadium, but the locals argued that it would be great to hold two Olympics in the same stadium. The IOC’s focus is to be treated like kings. It reminds me of the arrogance of Formula 1 telling their hosts that they should expect to lose millions if they were allowed to host a race.
There is something weak in the DNA of the aristocracy of Europe and I am not envious of their thought processes.
old fart
August 10th, 2012
6:27 pm
My wife and I lived abroad from 92-97. We reveled in the Braves success. We were amazed and elated with the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta during out absence. Once we returned we could not believe how much the city had changed for the better. While never perhaps what it should be, the lives of minorities (okay, Afro-Americans) seemed to have really improved. The Olympics were an adrenaline shot for Atlanta. It may no longer be the city too busy to hate … but it sure is a hell of a lot better than it was prior to the Olympics. I am so proud of what the gang who made it possible for the Olympics to be held in our city did.
Browncoat
August 10th, 2012
7:01 pm
Well said Blazerdawg
Class of '98
August 10th, 2012
8:17 pm
Great column. But the memory of those pick-up trucks during the opening ceremony is still wince-inducing.
Dave
August 10th, 2012
9:26 pm
While ACOG didn’t have any money for monuments, the City of Atlanta does. If the City were actually proud of having the olympics, don’t you think they’d make one? I think their silence tells a story. I’ve often wondered why the cauldron isn’t constantly lit – wouldn’t that be a great monument? Instead, they leave it on a blighted street in a blighted part of town, and don’t even maintain its appearance. Pretty much the same attention the City gives to everything else within its jurisdiction.
Bob Meyers
August 10th, 2012
9:28 pm
Because of so many reasons.. The bombing- not Atlanta’s
fault .. Still killed the ambience of the games.
The not so hot openning ceremony, the Ali
Part was great.. And while I like Atlanta it does
Not come close to the big league cities of London,
Sydney, NY, Los Angeles.. In class or ambience
..
Because of Atlanta Games it will be a long time
Before we see the Summer games return ton
The US.
79
August 10th, 2012
9:56 pm
The lean-to’s surrounding Centennial Park reminded me of getting off a cruise ship in Nassau. Embarrassing beyond belief and 3-dimensional evidence of the cronyism of Campbell. If only the bomb had been set off under the mayor’s desk…..Worst Olympics ever….although I remain very happy Tech got big-time bling……..
JD
August 10th, 2012
9:58 pm
No taxpayer debt is the legacy of the Atlanta Games. AD and Billy got it paid for with ACOG money from sponsors and kept the IOC happy without leaving the city in debt. The reason Samaranch didn’t say it was the best ever is because he didn’t get to siphon off enough money to his personal accounts. As AD said, free baseball stadium was a great deal. Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was on it’s last legs.
JD
August 10th, 2012
10:06 pm
Centennial Park replaced a warehouse district, Falcon Hotel and nightclub where shootings were a weekly occurence. Don’t care that venders filled the parking lots near the park, that area is forever changed.
JSS
August 10th, 2012
11:01 pm
“free baseball stadium”
You mean free for a billionaire who used it to leverage even more millions for himself when he sold it to multi-billion dollar conglomerate who in turn leveraged it again… Only in Atlanta does subsidizing corporate welfare find so much love!!!
David Granger
August 11th, 2012
12:07 am
Good points, Mark. I think it was very smart and cost-effective to build things that could then be modified for other uses. Centennial Olympic Park was brilliant, and a hell of a lot of fun…especially with kids from around the world splashing in the fountain. (I do wish we had the Olympic Torch there somewhere.) GT got a world-class natatorium, we got a very nice baseball stadium, Tech and GSU got some dorms, there’s a very nice horse park in Conyers…and we’re not saddled with a bunch of debt.
One big problem was that when we were competing for the Olympics, we had…in Andrew Young…one of our best mayors ever. But during the last frenzied two-year crunch to get the games ready and during the games, we had…in Bill Campbell…the sorriest and most corrupt mayor we’ve ever had. He thought the Olympics would be a cash-cow for him and his cronies (screw the city!), and they ended up renting out every damn scrap of pavement in the city. No telling how many vendors lost their tails off because they believed the promises that Campbell’s office were making. You had to walk through a flea market to get to anything, it seemed like.
max j
August 11th, 2012
12:09 am
atlanta—one of the worst run olympics ever. Who was in charge of that debacle?
Disaster
August 11th, 2012
12:27 am
Olympics should never have been awarded to Atlanta and I’ll guarantee the IOC would reverse their decision if they could have. This town is all fluff and no substance. Whether it’s Billy Payne or Arthur Blank blowing smoke up our skirts, it’s the same old thing here- mediocrity personified. Our geography and sports teams are all just ok. There’s nothing special about who we are, what we do, or anything we’ve accomplished. The IOC made a huge mistake awarding the games to Atlanta and will never take such a chance again for a long time to come.
Disaster
August 11th, 2012
12:29 am
One more thing……..the Braves have never been the same since moving to Turner Field- another disaster in it’s own right.
Matt the Brave
August 11th, 2012
12:48 am
The best use of Olympic Stadium would have been to create a new Falcons stadium. However, the Georgia Dome was only four (maybe a pinch more, feel free to correct) years old at the time. Also, it should be noted that RFK Stadium being used for soccer showed that it could be a sustainable place for MLS, plus the kayaking on the Ocoee essentially built an industry for the North Georgia/Southeast Tennessee mountains.
BW
August 11th, 2012
1:25 am
The Olympics consistently leave the host city with massive debt. I read a good quip recently. If the Olympics provide such great infrastructure boosts and economic boosts for the host city, shouldn’t the host cities be like Detroit and not London, which is already a world class city?
Proud of Atlanta
August 11th, 2012
5:57 am
Atlanta still has the record for most tickets sold. It hasn’t even been close until this year. It wasn’t run by the government but by private enterprise – a true testament to America and what we stand for.
Anyone who lived here before and after and can’t see the differences is blind. The both sides of the downtown connector were able to pass under ONE side of the Marta overpass when it was being built before the games. I-85 north of the split is the current Buford Hwy connector. This wasn’t Olympic money directly, but it is the most impactful legacy.
I went to Tech in the late 70s. The mile and half between North Ave and the old Omni was practically a war zone -totally transformed.
8.3 million people saw events in 2 weeks = about half a million folks a day. My family had great experiences attending events. It is about athletes and spectators – not the whiney press or IOC folks who didn’t get their rumps properly kissed.
Atlanta still has had the most successful games financially and in attendance – the numbers tell the story. And don’t forget LA did a great job. US TV and sponsors still pay the freight. The entire US should be proud of our country’s and Atlanta’s legacy and say so loudly.
indigo
August 11th, 2012
6:22 am
Samaranch’s comments should have been so predictable. Atlanta came after the games in his home town of Barcelona, and he was not going to say they were better than his home town’s effort.
ask Mayor Campbell
August 11th, 2012
6:34 am
The atlanta Olympic’s were great just One major flaw and it was Mayor Campbell Mr slumlord turn it into a vendors flea market which was not be for us..he did best ruin what late late Mayor Jackson got here with Payne help….If Mayor idiot bellhop chief harward did her Job no bombin ….Campbell made us look bad with Lowery mouth n his flea markets gang….salein stuff he ruin it Mayor Bill Campbell 1996 Izzy’s brother!
Ted Striker
August 11th, 2012
6:51 am
Nice article. Adds perspective. Makes me appreciate ACOG all the more.
And Samaranch was bush league that year, although I give the guy credit where it is due. In his 21 years we saw his efforts give rise to the inclusion of pro athletes, a real effort to get to the bottom of the bribery scandal, and the return to profitability (versus bankruptcy) of the IOC.
RIP, Mr. Samaranch. You are forgiven because your good outweighed your ill conceived slight.
MONKATL
August 11th, 2012
7:41 am
I am Proud that WE hosted the WORLD , The 1996 Olympics are a ” Forever Moment ” in the Great History of OUR Beautiful and Sports Loving City. Nothing can take that away from ATLANTA, GA. USA.
Woofy One
August 11th, 2012
7:47 am
Atlanta was left with many legacy structures and they are simply not “boastful icons” nor should they be. Too many seem to forget the Paralympic games were here also and that Juan Samaranch made sure they were wedded to every Olympics going forward (thanks to the founding sponsors of the Paralympic games that year).
PMC
August 11th, 2012
9:53 am
Turner Field is a monument to how mind numbingly stupid our civic leaders are in this city. Brand new stadium for 1996. A good chance to modernize transit to and from the stadium and make it….like every other major market and world class city…. Oh no, no train stop for the new stadium.
Idiots.
PMC
August 11th, 2012
9:55 am
I don’t look to corrupt organizations for validation of viability. The IOC is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world.
Gene
August 11th, 2012
10:49 am
I grew up in Atlanta and lived there until a few years ago. The two sporting events that I will always remember are the 1991 World Series and the Olympics. The whole city changed for the World Series. It was magic. Same for the Olympics. There were certainly problems, but for the first time, regular people had access to Olympic events. Samaranch was a Fascist underling of Franco and should never have been allowed near the IOC. Now the IOC European aristocrats eliminated the vulgar sports baseball and softball and allowed BMX racing. The IOC is the world equivalent of the NCAA.
The Grinch
August 11th, 2012
10:56 am
The 96 Olympics were fantastic, however, the “tent city” scenes reminded me of 3rd world countries.
Mr. Dawg
August 11th, 2012
10:59 am
I’ve long said that I don’t give a darn about the negative reviews some gave Atlanta following the Olympics. We hosted them and no one can ever take that away. The games were great. I had an absolute ball having gone down there on four differenct occassions to see various events. For those in the press that complained about the logisitcs and the abiltiy to get from place to place, they must not have give much effort. I drove around downtown and faced what I considered lighter than normal congestion. I believe the press scared people away from driving. For the sake of prosperity I have a brick on Centennial Square. To top it off as you mentioned Mark, we came out of it with no debt. That alone deserves high praise. Atlanta did a great job in my mind.
Mr. Dawg
August 11th, 2012
11:07 am
…and let’s not forget Samaranch who after slighting Atlanta for being overly commercial oversaw an Olympic Committee that ended up being embroiled in a bribery scandal in the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. If anything about Olympics history is worthy of criticism that should be at the top of the list or at least close to it.
LakeDawg
August 11th, 2012
11:49 am
I will give Atlanta credit for functionally providing a great Olympics. Everything went relatively smooth and the venues were top notch. However, the image Atlanta gave the world was of a city that was crass and greedy. The Olympics were put on to help Atlanta’s business community and it showed. Not much Olympic spirit supplied by the city. It all came from the athletes and fans.
Dnice
August 11th, 2012
12:45 pm
We have nothing to look down on because we did an excellent job from the events to the parties. I was a college sophmore and really enjoyed myself especially when my father and I visited a baseball game and I received an autographed ball from the Cuban National team. In 2002 I was at my first duty station as an officer, stationed in Korea and I had a the chance to see the remnants of the Seoul Olympics. Trust me, the Seoul Olympics looked liked they had happened back in the 1930s. Whenever I visit home I always think about that and feel so proud that my home and my country held the Olympics and did a Damn good job.
heartofdarkness
August 11th, 2012
12:55 pm
You forgot the natatorium on the Tech campus. I think one of the reasons Atlanta suffers in the views of Olympic insiders was the persistently visible “ambush marketing” campaigns that pervaded the games. This region got a look at big league venality with world class memories, when it hosted the Olympic movement.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/48568868
heartofdarkness
August 11th, 2012
2:11 pm
Atlanta gets a pat on the back from a presumably neutral evaluator, who looked at the results of the last 16 games: http://www.cnbc.com/id/45943877?slide=9. From the standpoint of revitalizing areas in economic distress, the 1996 Games must be rated a contributor in moving the blighted borders westward, and giving a boost to the concrete and steel construction industries, and the major sporting venues have paid for themselves, however, the goal of promoting sports participation refers more to amateur and youth, rather than corporate and professional, in the Olympic ideal. Still, inspiring the little people (as opposed to lightening their pockets) has never much been part of the Atlanta ideal, now, has it?
Mary Mac's Tea Room
August 11th, 2012
2:50 pm
1996, a very good year in Atlanta.
MadMatt
August 11th, 2012
4:37 pm
I have a lot of fond memories of the 1996 games and watching the London games has brought back a lot of moments from those games.
I think a lot of people had unreasonable expectations from the games, but there can be no doubt that Atlanta is better off today because of the games. Did the world change its view of Atlanta? Probably not, but when you look at the Braves stadium Olympic park and all of the wide, modern sidewalks we have, there can be no doubt the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Nite Owl
August 11th, 2012
4:44 pm
Sat right up front at the turn for Michael Johnson’s 19.32 world record. I’ve never experienced an atmosphere that electric.
These days, with Usain Bolt running out of his mind, it’s hard to explain to my kids how amazing that run was back then.
JSS
August 11th, 2012
5:09 pm
Ted Striker and Heart of Darkness bingo! There’s no one denying those points… PMC, very enlightened…
JSS
August 11th, 2012
5:22 pm
Nite Owl, not hard to explain at all… When you realize that only 4 men had run below 20 seconds between 1968 to 1984, that says it all… Only 1 man had done it at sea level (Lewis)… Boit is Lee Evans, appreciate it when he gets serious and decides to go hard at breaking 19 seconds… I saw Michael Johnson 96 Olympic Trial WR and knew had another .20 in him so the Olympics had no problem in dropping 19:32… That was his limit. I was in Berlin when he dropped 19:19, he’s got plenty left in the tank! He’s got something Johnson never had, Blake can go down around 19 flat in perfect conditions.
Auburn cheating big surprise NOT
August 11th, 2012
6:54 pm
any AJC sportswriter ever thought about investigating h s transcripts for Auburn as well as other schools in the SEC? That story isn’t going away. Are you all just lazy or do you have it too good to let other media people find these things out and then you latch on with a blog? Seriously, when is the last time any AJC sportswriter investigated any scandals going on in college football? Never
JSS
August 11th, 2012
7:27 pm
Never fails, stupid college corrupt ball comment pops up in some moronic way!
jojo
August 11th, 2012
7:35 pm
Screw the IOC and Juan. It was a great Olympics! I was one of hundreds of volunteers for the games, and every one I talked to loved our city. But what really impressed them the most was the courage and class shown by Atlanta AFTER the park bombing. So, yes I’m proud to be an Atlantan, and to h— with all those who complained!
DC
August 11th, 2012
9:21 pm
The ’90’s were a very exciting time for sports fans in our area.The Braves World Series games created a magic and energy that were only surpassed by the Olympics.When the Games came,that excitement was magnified many times over. But,since 1996, there have been few events except the 1998 Falcons Super Bowl team,that have had that magic and energy. That Super Bowl excitement went away much too quickly.Nothing since then has really excited me to that level. That is why I have watched as much of the Olympics,Summer & Winter,as I can.These sports interest me more than all of the college & pro football pablum that we watch and read about all year long.
jj
August 11th, 2012
9:48 pm
It was one of the best two weeks of my life. Got to see a lot of unique events. Met people from all over the
world. Yeah, parts of atlanta looked like a carnival midway but the effete flair of London, Sydney and Athens just aren’t the south.
JMC
August 11th, 2012
9:58 pm
This article is “most exceptional.”
MM
August 11th, 2012
10:03 pm
We may have had worst mascot but we had best logo! Time to bid again?! One more time Billy Payne!
LakeDawg
August 11th, 2012
10:09 pm
People like to jump on Campbell, mostly because they’re racist. Of course, Campbell was slime and the kiosks were embarrassing, but they happened because Payne and his white cronies cut Campbell and his black cronies out of the economic pie.
One Long Eyebrow
August 11th, 2012
10:09 pm
You could buy a tee shirt anytime, anywhere. Those tee shirt stands were so close to the gates that there was some criticism of the Mayor and the City but where else in the world could you buy a tee shirt that easy and that quick and then walk in the door and see the games? The Atlanta Games will always be remembered as the top tee shirt games in Olympic history. The AJC should know that and be proud.
Fred
August 11th, 2012
10:33 pm
It amazes me the negative people commenting that exhibit their lack of knowledge about the legacy. Amateur sports in the metro area exploded before the games and continued after the games. No legacy? Check out http://www.georgiagames.org/ for the the legacy of amateur athletics.
Didn’t like the venues? Artistic gymnastics – think Magnificent 7 – were watched by more people than ever before due to the size of the Dome. Atlanta pioneered the concept of the Olympic circle with most of the venues closely located. Not all to be sure but most. The central Olympic village was a first here. Centennial Olympic Park was envisioned as a gathering place for athletes and spectators that couldn’t get tickets and lived up to that admirably! More countries and more athletes than ever before and still one of the largest ever.
My brother worked at the main press center at the Inforum and has plenty of stories about IOC members and their attitudes. I worked at the Emory press center and can tell you that the journalists based there *loved* the facilities. Speaking of, the communications infrastructure put in place for the Atlanta Games was the best ever and again modeled the way for the future.
There were tons of positives things about the Atlanta Games!
Liz
August 11th, 2012
10:35 pm
Internationals considered our games overly commercialized. The IOC didn’t appreciate being duped about our climate during the summer months. Billy Payne, our “used car salesman” for getting the games, snickered about how he was able to pull off that little white lie, per televised interviews on TV. See for interesting history on the 96′ Olympics: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/1995/07/16/no-payne-no-games.html
The people of Atlanta were friendly and warm host. However much fun and good the games were, Richard Jewell was never properly honored for being the hero in the Centennial Park bombing. Besides giving the caldron a place of great honor, the park should be renamed the “Jewel Centennial Park”. Please join me in asking Mayor Reid do to this. It will do you heart good, and help erase the darkness that stills ligers about the ‘96 games. It is time to have a huge party in his honor.
foshizl
August 12th, 2012
12:43 am
Put the Cauldron in Centennial Park! It looks horrible over the Orange Lot, like a forgotten middle child.
foshizl
August 12th, 2012
12:58 am
“Fred” – I agree. I took part in one of the first Georgia Games as a 16 year old . . . . . . . Remember Beijing’s BIRDS NEST? It’ll be a shopping mall –yes, a mall — in 5 years. BRAVES FANS do you remember OLYMPIC STADIUM IN MONTREAL? Perhaps the worst baseball venue in the history of MLB. The LA Coliseum? Probably the worst college football venue in Division I. Yes, I’d say the Turner Field retrostruction was a great success, and probably the BEST use, economically and culturally, that ANY Olympic host has gotten out of its stadium post-Games.
And before jumping on WHATIZIT, remember that ALL Olympic mascots are horrible. Just look at local reaction to the 2012 iteration: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/why-does-the-london-2012-olympic-mascot-look-like-a-penis/3013852.article
what of it?
August 12th, 2012
6:16 am
Mexico City “world class”? I guess if you don’t mind rampant kidnappings, a government controlled by drug lords, and air quality worse than china.
Perhaps we should have had more white elephant stadiums like Beijing to demonstrate how much money we can waste.
Chris Sanchez
August 12th, 2012
8:04 am
During the London games I saw a piece on the facilities used during the Beijing. Most have fallen into disrepair having been abandoned while others were demolished after the games. Only a few are in use today. Atlanta decided not to throw billions of dollars down a hole like so many other cities have done and look at the benefit. To be paying for 17 days of glory three decades later is just plain silly. Bravo Atlanta for doing something right!
Jack Bobeck
August 12th, 2012
8:24 am
I was standing at the corner of Fowler and 4th Street at Tech in 1990 when it was announced that the “1996 Olympics will go to the City of Atlanta” by Juan the Grouch, and we jumped up and down and thought we had all won the lottery. Which we had, only 6 years later and many great facilities built, I think Tech was the real winner with dorms, swimming, improvements to facilities. As a Tech grad, it helped my school probably more than any other entity, although I do like the new Braves Stadium and was at the closing ceremonies in Atlanta, was such a great time!
When else do you get to walk downtown on Peachtree, streets closed, in a street party (Freaknik-yeah, but really) with people from all over the world, scalping Olympic tickets. I still remember being in the Keys when the tix went on sale, I was on hold for 2 hours and had $400 in roaming charges the next month on my cell phone. Still, it was the 2 best weeks of traffic Atlanta has EVER seen, the organizers scared the heck out of everyone to stay away, leave, don’t come downtown unless you need to. I loved the traffic for the games! We should have another 2 weeks like that! Of course, loved Bud World, and agree that Centennial Park DID clean up an entire side of town, now can we fix Underground, please?
WARTALONS
August 12th, 2012
8:53 am
What to do with that ATLANTA CAULDRON? Would make good scrap metal. It was the ugliest design for all time. UGLY! But Atlanta should do something better than where the Cauldron is now. Put it on the back of the property between the Aquarium and the Coca Cola museum. It could be seen from a distance on the expressways and the COPark. Would fit with the Coke decorations. Set up an icecream bar or a CHICK-FIL-A under the Cauldron. WAFFLE CONES or WAFFLE PANCAKES would be great.
Ron
August 12th, 2012
9:33 am
To not leave a massive financial mess was a huge success by ACOG. We may not have impressed the snobs, but the games in Atlanta were a success. Massive debts were the norm for Olympic cities, as stated in the article – yet Atlanta showed it did not have to be that way. Its no joke what the organizers did. If the Olympics dont come to Atlanta, maybe the Super Bowl, Final Four, etc etc take many many more years before we host any of those events.
Our government (all levels) could learn something from ACOG
Sweet Daddy Pop
August 12th, 2012
10:13 am
Nice read Mark. I think the city should light the cauldron every four years for the duration of the Summer Olympics. It’d be a nice reminder of what happened here, and help to preserve some of our legacy. If it’s burning the rest will take care of itself.
billcanoe
August 12th, 2012
10:17 am
I worked as a volunteer in the Olympics and I think Atlanta (and Georgia) did a GREAT job with the Olympics. That said, I really regret that we turned Olympic Stadium into Turner Field. Olympic Stadium was a great, world-class 85,000 seat stadium which, if preserved, could have hosted great events in the future, much as the Los Angeles Colisseum does, AND the Braves could still have played there (with minor modifications). I think we blew that one.
crimson 1
August 12th, 2012
11:31 am
Boy I bet Greece wish they had a do over. They so far in debt that it will take forever to get out of. You don’t make money hosting the Olympics. You only get national pride. Only the big boys can afford to host these games. Sorry about that future debt Brazil. Brotha can you spare a dime.
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
August 12th, 2012
1:37 pm
We sure can’t forget those cardboard/plywood vending stands downtown…classy.
gone are the days
August 12th, 2012
4:27 pm
Why no mention of our legacy of buying our way in. When Salt lake got caught paying for votes it was quickly ascertained that Billy Pain had done the same thing for Atlanta. Atlanta is a wonderful place to live and work. I was born in Piedmont hospital and through college lived in Georgia. I have since lived on the West Coast, the East Coast and I’m back in atlanta. But having grown up in and worked for most of my life in the travel industry I can assure you Atlanta is as non-international a city that I’ve ever known. It seems not a single person ever wants to acknowledge we bought our turn on the big stage. Maybe that’s the real reason most Cities like London are dismissive of Atlanta’s games.
Keith Strawn
August 12th, 2012
7:19 pm
Mark, Thanks for the insight. Well done, as always. Although I moved away from Atlanta a few months before the Games, I believe Georgia State, my alma mater, has student housing as a result of the Games. I remember the “countdown” clock underneath the MARTA station, when it was more than a thousand days out. Now, here we are, 16 years past the event. Your piece was a nice memory jogger, Mark. Thanks again.
Dave
August 12th, 2012
8:26 pm
Perhaps the Cauldron should have been moved over to Centennial Olympic Park.
Braves #17 Fan
August 12th, 2012
10:58 pm
Atlanta did great! And Izzy is not bad either.
O4W
August 12th, 2012
11:07 pm
@billcanoe
The Olympic Stadium’s conversion into Turner Field was the correct decision, as Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was very outdated by 1996 and we had no use for a track-and-field facility that large. The genius part was that the conversion was intended all along, and as a result we have a debt-free beautiful baseball park for the Braves.
Now, the location on the other hand stinks (should have put it next to an existing MARTA station or near the Dome/Omni area).
Jason
August 12th, 2012
11:32 pm
Atlanta is ranked as a “Alpha-” global city. We’re not London or Paris but Atlanta is a bigger player on the world stage than many will admit. For all the unwarranted boosterism Atlanta had in the decades before the games, we’ve entered a period of equally extreme unwarranted negativity. It’s too bad because these things tend to be self fulfilling prophecies.
Ranking of world cities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
Atlanta Better. | Kudzu and Concrete
August 13th, 2012
12:13 am
[...] Bradley at the AJC piggybacks on the same angle and writes: The 1996 Games were characterized in the world press as [...]
You want great ?
August 13th, 2012
6:36 am
China has 14 Gold Medals in these “sports” : Badminton, Ping-Pong and Synchronized with a population in excess of one billion more than USA.
United States of America Gold Medals : Soccer Women, Basketball Men, Basketball Women, Gymnastics Women, Gymnastics Women Individual, Boxing Middleweight Women, Tennis Men’s Doubles, Tennis Women’s Individual, Tennis Women’s Doubles, Track and Field Men’s Decathlon, Track and Field Men’s Triple Jump, Track and Field Women’s 400 Meter, Track and Field Women’s Pole Vault, Track and Field Women’s 200 meter, Track and Field Women’s Long Jump, Track and Field Men’s 100 Meter Hurdles, Track and Field 4 x 400 Women, Gymnastics Women Floor, Beach Women’s Volleyball, Cycling Women, Judo Women, Rowing Women, Wrestling Men 96 kg, Wrestling Men 74 kg, and in Swimming 16 Gold Medals 4 Men’s and 12 Women’s a total of 104 Medals 29 each bronze and silver, and 46 Gold 17 Men’s 29 Women’s.
Morning Reads For Monday August 13, 2012 — Peach Pundit
August 13th, 2012
6:39 am
[...] Britain 65. Yea Baby Yea! – Images from last night’s Closing Ceremony. – Mark Bradley on Atlanta’s Olympic legacy. – The Braves still trail the Nationals by 4 games but hold the wildcard lead. – Tommy Hanson threw [...]
Radio GaGa
August 13th, 2012
7:13 am
Explain why they now have plans to tear down the Olympic tennis center, which has sit there in Stone Mountain virtually unused for 16 years. Why hasn’t the city’s supposedly vibrant tennis community found a use for it? Why hasn’t it hosted major events?
wj
August 13th, 2012
7:26 am
In spite of its absolute failure of the structure that support the caldron – the caldron itself is not bad. Unfortunately, the structure and bridge miss the mark as both art or architecture, thus failing to highlight the cauldron and its significance. Nonetheless, the Atlanta caldron has a special place in Olympic history. To the best of my recollection, Atlanta was the first modern Olympic Games to distinguish the torch (think runners carrying the flame) and the caldron (think stationary and permanent) in conjunction with the Olympic flame. Ask a member of the private sector (not ACOG or USOC or IOC) stadium design team and they will tell you how that came about.
You want great ?
August 13th, 2012
7:31 am
I am not too concerned about any population total showing Atlanta at other than 6 million. We have no Ocean like New York or Los Angeles, no mountains like Denver, no Lakes like Chicago to keep us from growing in all directions. You cannot measure Atlanta population and say it is less than 6 million. Our great city spreads out in all directions. It is far larger in size than the 60 mile Perimeter I-285, in fact, major parts of Atlanta our outside I-285, especially Northern Suburbs. Surely, Douglasville is Atlanta, Dunwoody, Marietta, Norcross, Sandy Springs, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Tucker, Duluth, Peachtree City, Alpharetta, Woodstock, Canton, Conyers, Covington, Griffin, Hampton – in fact there are 27 counties which make up Atlanta. We’re made up of Latino, Yankees who stayed here, Asian, Indian and Native Atlantans such as myself. In fact, there are parts of our great city where you can’t find anyone but Mexicans, Chinese, Korean, South American, Viet Namese – it’s a wonderful melting pot.
Then, we have this 1-horse newspaper and its lazy sportswriters who cannot be bothered to write other than drivel – who if they do stumble upon the sports news’ event of the day to write about, fail to mention one single salient point about the event.
We, instead, are bombarded with stupid poorly thought-out on the topic at hand lies and misrepresentations and fact oh my the facts left out entirely – such as EQUAL TIME for Georgie tek and UGA in sports. How many of the 8 medals UGA put up did Georgie tek put up ? When, oh when, will 1-day 1 sportswriter for AJ-C mention that Georgie tek is no Probation in FOOTBALL again 2012 ?
No.
We have sports’ teams here, every major sport – it’s just that the sportswriters of this 1-horse newspaper town don’t say about them that matters according to them. They want to SHAPE the opinions of others, instead of reporting the news. Put u
They want to CENSOR anyone offering a different view. They wish to sell newspapers for 10 cents a copy to put Times out of business and then back now to asking 10 times that, afterwards. Just so that we can build-up this nincompoops we call sportswriters in this town. Go back to North Carolina.
Put up your bio.
Doom and Gloom
August 13th, 2012
9:50 am
Umm…. The Olympics…. The Good: New Venues ( For what it was worth)… Now the Unfortunate Bad from an Atlantan who was actually from here prior to the Olympics. Tore down all the real history in Atlanta, including the Projects… Yes, the Projects!!!! Techwood Homes was actually a famous site, the first Project Complex in America’s history, and ironically, the first Project Complex ever torn down! Atlanta has been a “Fake” City with nothing but arrogant, money hungry out-of-towners ever since it came here in ‘96, I for one wish it had never came……..
robodawg
August 13th, 2012
10:03 am
Seems like the Olympics were the beginning of downtown’s rejuvenation from a dead zone to something resembling a college campus around Georgia State. The west side near Tech is also much improved from what it was pre-Olympics. On the whole pretty positive for Atlanta.
In hindsight you do wish there had been SOME public investment in infrastructure and public transportation. Greater investments then would still be paying dividends today.
Morning Reads For Monday August 13, 2012
August 13th, 2012
12:54 pm
[...] Great Britain 65. Yeah Baby Yeah! – Images from last night’s Closing Ceremony. – Mark Bradley on Atlanta’s Olympic legacy. – The Braves still trail the Nationals by 4.5 games but share the wildcard lead with Pittsburgh. – [...]
hootsmon
August 17th, 2012
7:11 am
One thing stands out for me. Why was Atlanta snubbed at the opening ceremony? You don’t know do you? Well, two days earlier Mitt Romney had gone on record for saying that he felt London wasn’t ready for the games. Result: an enraged nation and ATL and LA edited out of the video. Serve y’all right as your a GOP state.
hootsmon
August 17th, 2012
7:13 am
Yeah and I can’t spell “you’re” either!