2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony The 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony took place on 1 October 2000 in Stadium Australia. The Closing Ceremony attracted 114,714 people, the largest attendance in modern Olympic Games history. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch declared that the 2000 Olympic games were best Olympic Games ever. Michael Knight, President of the President of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Organizing Committee (SOCOG) was awarded the Gold Olympic Order as an expression of gratitude for a perfect organisation. In addition, The International Olympic Committee has decided to award the Olympic Cup to the people of Sydney for their enthusiastic
Olympic Games in the opening ceremony. Though the flame has been an Olympic symbol since 1928, the torch relay was only introduced at the 1936 Summer Games to promote the Third Reich. The Olympic mascot, an animal or human figure representing the cultural heritage of the host country, was introduced in 1968. It has played an important part of the Games' identity promotion since the 1980 Summer Olympics, when the Russian bear cub Misha reached international stardom. The mascot of the Summer Olympics in London was named Wenlock after the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire. Much Wenlock still hosts the Wenlock