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The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held between July 19 and August 4, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. These were the fourth Games to be hosted by the United States, and marked the centennial of the first Olympics in 1896. They were also the first Summer Olympics to be held in a different year from the Winter Olympic Games, due to a new IOC system.

Bidding[]

Image olympiclogo atlanta 01
Voting results for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
City Country R1 R2 R3 R4 R5
Atlanta United States 19 20 26 34 51
Athens Greece 23 23 26 30 35
Toronto Canada 14 17 18 22
Melbourne Australia 12 21 16
Manchester Great Britain 11 5
Belgrade Yugoslavia 7

Mascots[]

Izzy

Izzy and Blaze were the mascots of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Izzy was made by John Ryan, while Blaze was made by Trevor Stone Irvin of Irvin Productions. While Blaze was a phoenix, Izzy was a cartoon character that could morph into different things, which was a major departure from the usual mascot of the Olympics. Originally, Izzy was known as Whatizit (a play on the saying "what is it?") but was renamed due to criticism from the public. He was initially unveiled in the Barcelona 1992 Closing Ceremony. Izzy also had a cartoon special, named "Izzy's Quest for Olympic Gold". The cartoon was made by Film Roman and was aired on TNT in August 1995. The plot followed Izzy living in the Olympic Torch, and had to collect all 5 Olympic Rings to tryout for the Olympic Games. The special had long been lost media, but was found on a VHS tape recording on YouTube on December 2020. Izzy also has 2 video games, Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings, released in 1995 for the Sega Genesis and released the following year for the SNES. The other being Izzy's Adventure on PC in 1996. This one was a more educational game and was based on the animated special. Izzy was also the first computer designed mascot.

Blaze[]

Blaze (Atlanta 1996)

Blaze is a male Phoenix and as mentioned earlier, was the mascot of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Blaze was chosen as a phoenix as it had been the symbol of Atlanta after the devastation caused in the city during the American Civil War. It is also the personification of the will, perseverance, and determination of the disabled to achieve full and productive lives. His bright colors, height, and broad wing span identify in a focus group of disabled athletes, as those they believed best represented the drive to succeed of persons with physical disability who pursue sports as recreation and as a competitive endeavor. Blaze is still used today as the mascot of BlazeSports America, a nonprofit organization that directly is a legacy of the Games. Blaze, today, is known as the most recognizable symbol in sports for the disabled.

Criticism[]

Whatizit

Izzy's original design.

While Blaze was a well known mascot, Izzy was also well known, but also for the wrong reasons. The criticism began after he was unveiled during the Barcelona 1992 Closing Ceremony, as people started posting letters to the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee offices because people wanted to know what exactly was he supposed to be and what he had to do with the city of Atlanta. He was renamed "Izzy" with the help of some focus groups, then was redesigned by removing his second row of teeth, giving him a nose, making his tongue visible, and making his limbs longer, skinnier, and more athletic. This was an attempt to draw towards children, as he was more popular in that demographic. Despite this, Izzy was still unpopular among adults, as he was given nicknames by the media such as "The Sperm in Sneakers" alongside others. His name was used by Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia, in a roller coaster, which has since had its name changed. A popular joke around Atlanta after the Games was the blue line (which was supposed to be the path of the Olympic Marathon) was "Izzy's ass getting dragged out of town".

Torch[]

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The Olympic torch was modelled to look like the most ancient of torches, a bundle of reeds bound by twine. The design stirred a bit of controversy, however, when it was pointed out that the torch also resembled a fasces, the symbol of fascism.

Sports[]

← Winter 1994 United States 1996 Summer Olympic Games United States Winter 1998 →
← 1992 2000 →
Archery Athletics Badminton
Baseball / Softball Basketball Boxing
Canoeing Cycling Diving
Equestrian Fencing Field Hockey
Football Gymnastics Handball
Judo Modern Pentathlon Rowing
Sailing Shooting Swimming
Synchronized Swimming Table Tennis Tennis
Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting
Wrestling


Medal table[]

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 United States 44 32 25 101
2 Russia 26 21 16 63
3 Germany 20 18 27 65
4 China 16 22 12 50
5 France 15 7 15 37
6 Italy 13 10 12 35
7 Australia 9 9 23 41
8 Cuba 9 8 8 25
9 Ukraine 9 2 12 23
10 South Korea 7 15 5 27
11 Poland 7 5 5 17
12 Hungary 7 4 10 21
13 Spain 5 6 6 17
14 Romania 4 7 9 20
15 Netherlands 4 5 10 19
16 Greece 4 4 0 8
17 Czech Republic 4 3 4 11
18 Switzerland 4 3 0 7
19 Denmark 4 1 1 6
19 Turkey 4 1 1 6
21 Canada 3 11 8 22
22 Bulgaria 3 7 5 15
23 Japan 3 6 5 14
24 Kazakhstan 3 4 4 11
25 Brazil 3 3 9 15
26 New Zealand 3 2 1 6
27 South Africa 3 1 1 5
28 Ireland 3 0 1 4
29 Sweden 2 4 2 8
30 Norway 2 2 3 7
31 Belgium 2 2 2 6
32 Nigeria 2 1 3 6
33 North Korea 2 1 2 5
34 Algeria 2 0 1 3
34 Ethiopia 2 0 1 3
36 Great Britain 1 8 6 15
37 Belarus 1 6 8 15
38 Kenya 1 4 3 8
39 Jamaica 1 3 2 6
40 Finland 1 2 1 4
41 Indonesia 1 1 2 4
41 Yugoslavia 1 1 2 4
43 Iran 1 1 1 3
43 Slovakia 1 1 1 3
45 Armenia 1 1 0 2
45 Croatia 1 1 0 2
47 Portugal 1 0 1 2
47 Thailand 1 0 1 2
49 Burundi 1 0 0 1
49 Costa Rica 1 0 0 1
49 Ecuador 1 0 0 1
49 Hong Kong 1 0 0 1
49 Syria 1 0 0 1
54 Argentina 0 2 1 3
55 Namibia 0 2 0 2
55 Slovenia 0 2 0 2
57 Austria 0 1 2 3
58 Malaysia 0 1 1 2
58 Moldova 0 1 1 2
58 Uzbekistan 0 1 1 2
61 Azerbaijan 0 1 0 1
61 Bahamas 0 1 0 1
61 Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1
61 Georgia 0 1 0 1
61 Latvia 0 1 0 1
61 Philippines 0 1 0 1
61 Tonga 0 1 0 1
61 Zambia 0 1 0 1
69 Morocco 0 0 2 2
69 Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 2 2
71 India 0 0 1 1
71 Israel 0 0 1 1
71 Lithuania 0 0 1 1
71 Mexico 0 0 1 1
71 Mongolia 0 0 1 1
71 Mozambique 0 0 1 1
71 Puerto Rico 0 0 1 1
71 Tunisia 0 0 1 1
71 Uganda 0 0 1 1
Preceded by
Lillehammer 1994
Olympics
1996
Succeeded by
Nagano 1998
Preceded by
Barcelona 1992
Summer Olympics
1996
Succeeded by
Sydney 2000
Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
Athens 1896Paris 1900St. Louis 1904Athens 1906 (Intercalated Games)London 1908Stockholm 1912Berlin 1916Antwerp 1920Paris 1924Amsterdam 1928Los Angeles 1932Berlin 1936London 1948Helsinki 1952Melbourne 1956Rome 1960Tokyo 1964Mexico City 1968Munich 1972Montreal 1976Moscow 1980Los Angeles 1984Seoul 1988Barcelona 1992Atlanta 1996Sydney 2000Athens 2004Beijing 2008London 2012Rio de Janeiro 2016Tokyo 2020Paris 2024Los Angeles 2028Brisbane 2032
Winter Olympic Games
Chamonix 1924St. Moritz 1928Lake Placid 1932Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936St. Moritz 1948Oslo 1952Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956Squaw Valley 1960Innsbruck 1964Grenoble 1968Sapporo 1972Innsbruck 1976Lake Placid 1980Sarajevo 1984Calgary 1988Albertville 1992Lillehammer 1994Nagano 1998Salt Lake City 2002Torino 2006Vancouver 2010Sochi 2014Pyeongchang 2018Beijing 2022Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026
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