Iceland at the 2004 Summer Olympics Iceland at the 2004 Summer Olympics Iceland competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Icelandic athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era since 1912, except for four occasions. The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland sent a total of 26 athletes, 21 men and 5 women, to compete in 5 sports, including men's handball, the nation's only team-based sport at these Olympic games. Seven Icelandic athletes had previously competed in Sydney, including swimmer Örn Arnarson, who finished fourth in the men's 200 m backstroke. Handball player
Summer Olympic Games demand for tickets to all levels of each event, there was controversy when seats set aside for sponsors and National Delegations went unused in the early days. A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympic Games after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney, Australia, in 2000, and the first South American city to host the Olympics. The preparation for these Games was overshadowed by controversies, including the instability of Brazil's