Venues of the 2000 Summer Olympics for the 2000 Games continue to be in use as of 2018. Australia first hosted the Summer Olympics in 1956 at Melbourne. The main venue used was the Melbourne Cricket Ground which hosted the ceremonies (opening/closing), athletic events, and the finals for both field hockey and football. Sydney first made preliminary plans for the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics, but they were not followed through. Melbourne made a bid for the 1988 Summer Games, but withdrew in February 1981. Brisbane made a bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics, losing out to Barcelona while Melbourne finished fourth in the bidding for
Sierra Leone at the 2000 Summer Olympics Committee on 1 January 1964. The nation made its Olympic debut four years later in the 1968 Summer Olympics, but did not make their second appearance until the 1980 Moscow Olympics. They have sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games since Moscow, making these Sydney Games their seventh appearance. Sierra Leone has yet to appear at the Winter Olympic Games. The 2000 Summer Olympics were held from 15 September to 1 October 2000; a total of 10,651 athletes represented 199 National Olympic Committees. Their delegation to Sydney consisted of three competitors, two track and field athletes; Alpha B. Kamara and