On Friday night, September 15, 2000, I attended the
opening ceremonies of the XXVII Olympic Games in
Sydney, Australia — the first Games of the New Millennium.
These were my eighth Olympics. Few games will ever compare
to the first ones I saw in Rome as a small boy, largely because
many events there were held in ancient Roman structures
which produced an almost magical atmosphere at times. The
Sydney games, however, may well have been the best organized I have experienced, as confirmed by retiring IOC
president Juan Antonio Samaranch. He declared them “the
best ever” at closing ceremonies which included the largest
fireworks display in the history of Australia.