1996 Summer Olympics Basil Poledouris. Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron and later received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics. For the torch ceremony, more than 10,000 Olympic torches were manufactured by the American Meter Company and electroplated by Erie Plating Company. Each torch weighed about and was made primarily of aluminum, with a Georgia pecan wood handle and gold ornamentation. The 1996 Summer Olympic programme featured 271 events in 26 sports. Softball, beach volleyball and mountain biking debuted on the Olympic program, together with women's football and lightweight rowing. In women's gymnastics, Lilia Podkopayeva became
Synchronized swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics increments. When the technical merit and artistic impression scores were calculated for a total score, the technical routine score was weighted to 35 percent and the free routine to 65 percent. These two scores were then combined to determine overall medal placement. Synchronized swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, only the team event in synchronized swimming was contested, whereas previous Olympics had featured a solo and duet event. The duet would return to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Eight countries qualified for the Olympic Games at an Olympic qualifying event held in