How Atlanta Became the Host City of the 1996 Olympics – And Why It Still Matters Today

Atlanta’s connection to the 1996 Olympic Games is much more than a historical footnote. The Games reshaped the city’s skyline, transportation, parks, and global image—and you can still see and experience that Olympic legacy all over Atlanta today.

If you live in Atlanta, are visiting, or are just curious about the city’s history, understanding the 1996 Olympics helps explain why Atlanta looks and feels the way it does now.

How Atlanta Won the Bid for the 1996 Olympics

A “Nontraditional” Olympic City

When Atlanta was selected in 1990 to host the Centennial Olympic Games (marking 100 years of the modern Olympics), it surprised many people. Other competing cities included Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the modern Games.

Atlanta had some key advantages:

• A major airline hub with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• A rapidly growing economy and corporate base (including Coca‑Cola and other major companies)
• Existing sports facilities and college venues that could be upgraded
• Strong local business and civic support for hosting a large global event

Local leaders and organizers presented Atlanta as a modern, forward-looking, diverse American city, capable of handling the scale of the Olympics and eager to invest in new infrastructure.

Who Organized the Games?

The Games were largely organized by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), working alongside:

• The City of Atlanta
• Fulton County and surrounding counties
• The State of Georgia
• Local universities and private partners

This partnership style, with heavy involvement from private funding and sponsorships, gave the Atlanta Games a distinct identity compared with some previous Olympics that relied more heavily on public funding.

What Actually Happened in Atlanta During the 1996 Olympics?

The Basics

• Dates: July 19 – August 4, 1996
• Type: Summer Olympic Games
• Events: A full slate of Olympic sports across multiple venues in and around Atlanta

Events were spread out across the metro area and beyond, not just in the downtown core.

Major Competition Venues in and Around Atlanta

Some key 1996 venues and their connections to places you might know today:

• Centennial Olympic Stadium – Built just south of downtown for track and field and ceremonies.

  • After the Games, it was converted into Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves for many years.
  • It has since been transformed again into Center Parc Stadium, now used by Georgia State University football.

• Georgia Tech Campus (Midtown) – Hosted aquatic events and other competitions.

  • Facilities such as the McAuley Aquatic Center (then the Aquatic Center) were built or upgraded for the Games and are still in use by students and athletes.

• Georgia World Congress Center (Downtown) – Used for various indoor sports and media functions.

  • Today, it’s still one of Atlanta’s main convention and event locations, closely tied to Olympic-era developments.

• Georgia Dome – Hosted basketball and gymnastics.

  • It has been demolished and replaced by Mercedes‑Benz Stadium, but its role during the Olympics is a significant part of its history.

• Other Sites Across Georgia – Soccer, rowing, and other events were held at venues in Athens, Columbus, Savannah, and Lake Lanier, tying the broader state into the Olympic experience.

The Lasting Physical Legacy: What You Can Still See in Atlanta

Many of the most visible reminders of the 1996 Olympics are in downtown and Midtown Atlanta, and they’re easy to visit.

Centennial Olympic Park

Centennial Olympic Park (265 Park Ave W NW, Atlanta, GA 30313) is the heart of Atlanta’s Olympic legacy.

Built as a central gathering place for visitors during the Games, it was later redesigned as a permanent public park. Today, it features:

• The Fountain of Rings, shaped like the Olympic rings, with regular water shows
• Walkways engraved with donor bricks from the 1990s
• Sculptures, green space, and views of the skyline

The park helped trigger the development of nearby attractions like the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca‑Cola, and College Football Hall of Fame, making this area a major destination for both locals and tourists.

Olympic Cauldron and Torch Structure

If you drive along I‑20 near Hank Aaron Drive, you can see a tall steel structure often called the Olympic Cauldron or “Olympic Torch Tower.” This was associated with the flame that burned during the Games.

While the original stadium flame was at what became Turner Field, this structure remains a visible symbol of Atlanta’s Olympic moment and is often photographed by visitors interested in sports history.

Repurposed Stadiums and Facilities

Many facilities were intentionally designed to be reused:

• Center Parc Stadium (Georgia State University) – The former Olympic stadium and then Turner Field, now a college football venue and mixed-use area.
• Georgia Tech’s Olympic Village and Venues – Student housing and sports centers built or upgraded for the Olympics are used daily by students and local sports programs.
• Stone Mountain Park – Hosted Olympic tennis and archery; still a major recreation and attraction area today, with some Olympic-era improvements remaining in its layout and infrastructure.

These conversions were an important part of Atlanta’s strategy to avoid long-term “white elephant” venues.

How the 1996 Olympics Changed Atlanta as a City

Downtown Revitalization

Before the Games, parts of downtown Atlanta had limited green space and fewer family-friendly attractions. The Olympics accelerated efforts to:

• Create Centennial Olympic Park
• Improve streetscapes and pedestrian access in the central area
• Encourage hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions to cluster around downtown

If you spend time around CNN Center, State Farm Arena, the Georgia World Congress Center, and Centennial Olympic Park, you’re in the heart of what was heavily shaped by Olympic planning.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Hosting millions of visitors forced Atlanta to focus on how people moved around the city:

• MARTA rail and bus systems played a central role during the Games, and several Olympic venues were intentionally selected to be near MARTA stations.
• Roadway improvements, signage updates, and traffic planning done for the Olympics influenced later transportation projects and how the city handles large events today.

Locals sometimes trace Atlanta’s experience managing major events—like the Super Bowl, Final Four, and large conventions—back to logistics developed during 1996.

Housing and Redevelopment

Olympic-related projects also affected housing and redevelopment patterns, especially near Georgia Tech and the stadium areas. Some areas experienced:

• New student housing that began as the Olympic Village
• Redevelopment around what is now Center Parc Stadium and the surrounding neighborhoods

These changes are part of broader conversations in Atlanta about growth, displacement, and neighborhood transformation that continue today.

The Cultural and Emotional Impact on Atlanta

Atlanta on the World Stage

The Games put Atlanta in front of a global audience. For many people around the world, 1996 was their first real exposure to Atlanta—its music, culture, skyline, and identity as a major Southern city.

That visibility helped:

• Attract future conventions and sporting events
• Strengthen Atlanta’s image as an international city, not just a regional center
• Support the city’s growth as a media, business, and transportation hub

The Centennial Olympic Park Bombing

Atlanta’s Olympic story also includes a tragic event: a bombing at Centennial Olympic Park on July 27, 1996.

• The explosion killed two people and injured many others.
• It deeply affected local residents, visitors, and the broader sense of security around large public events.

For Atlantans, this remains an important and somber part of the city’s Olympic history. Today, the park is still a place of gathering and celebration, but the memory of that night is often recognized in local discussions of the Games.

Where to Explore Atlanta’s Olympic History Today

If you want to connect with Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic history in person, several areas are especially relevant.

Key Olympic-Related Sites in Atlanta

🔍 Practical tip: When you walk through these areas, look for plaques, engravings, and design details referencing 1996—many of them quietly preserve the city’s Olympic story.

Local Institutions and Contacts

Several Atlanta institutions maintain archives, photos, or exhibits touching on the 1996 Games:

• Atlanta History Center
  130 West Paces Ferry Rd NW
  Atlanta, GA 30305
  Often includes material on modern Atlanta history, including the Olympics, in its exhibitions and collections.

• City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
  233 Peachtree St NE, Suite 1700
  Atlanta, GA 30303
  Can be a reference point for public art and memorials, some of which connect to the Olympic period.

• Georgia Tech Library & Archives (Georgia Institute of Technology)
  North Ave NW
  Atlanta, GA 30332
  Holds collections related to the campus’s role in the Olympics and the transformation of facilities.

If you’re researching or doing a school project, these institutions are often good starting points for deeper local information.

Why the 1996 Olympics Still Matter to People in Atlanta

For Atlanta residents and visitors today, the 1996 Olympics matter because they help explain:

• Why downtown has Centennial Olympic Park and a cluster of tourist attractions
• How former Olympic venues became everyday spaces, like stadiums and campus facilities
• How Atlanta grew into a regular host city for major events, from championships to concerts
• How the city balances progress, memory, and community impact when undertaking large projects

In short, Atlanta’s connection to the 1996 Olympics is both physical and symbolic. The Games changed the way the city looks, how it functions, and how it’s viewed around the world—and that transformation is still visible in the streets, parks, and neighborhoods you move through every day in Atlanta.