From 2000, this domain was home to "Gamesinfo", the archived information sites from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, with pages on the sports, the venues, the torch relay, getting around, accessibility and the language of the Games. That archive is long gone. Games Info is a new, independent guide that picks up the same threads a quarter of a century on: what happened, where it happened, and what you can still see.
The Games in brief
Sydney won the right to host the 2000 Olympic Games in September 1993, edging out Beijing by 45 votes to 43 in the final round of voting at the International Olympic Committee session in Monte Carlo. Seven years of preparation transformed Homebush Bay, a former industrial and waste site in Sydney's west, into Sydney Olympic Park.
The Olympic Games ran from 15 September to 1 October 2000, with teams from 199 countries and, for the first time, at least 300 medal events. They were the second Summer Olympics held in Australia after Melbourne 1956. The Paralympic Games followed from 18 to 29 October, with a record 3,801 athletes from 123 National Paralympic Committees. Read the full story in our Sydney 2000 hub.
Moments people still remember
- Cathy Freeman lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony, then winning the 400 metres in front of a capacity crowd at Stadium Australia.
- The torch relay, which visited Oceania and travelled around Australia, including a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, before arriving in Sydney. Read about the torch relay.
- The swimming at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre, now Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
- The volunteers, tens of thousands of them, who became a symbol of the Games.
- The Paralympic Games, the first held in Australia, which drew large crowds. Read about the Paralympic Games.
The venues, then and now
The Games used around thirty venues. The core was at Sydney Olympic Park, with others across Sydney, from Bondi Beach to Penrith, and football matches in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide. Some venues are busier than ever, some were rebuilt and some have been demolished. Use the venue explorer below, or browse our venues hub, including guides to Stadium Australia and the Aquatic Centre.
Visiting Sydney Olympic Park today
Sydney Olympic Park is about 13 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD. It is now a suburb with homes, offices and hotels, as well as stadiums, arenas and the Sydney Showground, home of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Around the venues are extensive parklands and wetlands, with walking and cycling paths, birdwatching and the Brickpit Ring Walk.
Getting there is easy by train, ferry, bus or car. Our visitor guide covers getting there, the parklands and accessibility.
Why the legacy matters
Sydney 2000 is often remembered as one of the most successful Games. Its legacy includes the remediated land at Homebush Bay, a public transport system designed for big crowds, venues still used by elite and community sport, and a sense among many Australians of what the country could achieve. With Brisbane due to host the 2032 Games, interest in Sydney's experience is growing again.
About Games Info
Read more about us and our editorial policy. If you have a correction, or a memory of the Games you would like to share, please get in touch.
