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
Summer Olympic coins Summer Olympic coins Although the first Olympic coin can be traced back to 480 BC, the modern Olympics did not see its first commemoratives until 1951. The original concept of Olympic coins was that the Greeks believed that coins brought the general public closer to the Olympic games. The premise was that those who could not attend the games could at least have a tangible souvenir of the event. In 1951, the government of Finland authorized the striking of the first modern Olympic coin, a 500 Markkaa. At first, the coins circulated as currency in the issuing country and the