2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

As spectators arrived, they found on their seats a yellow Globite case with Olympic Stickers on the front, reminiscent of those that once prevailed in Australian schoolrooms in the 20th Century. Inside the case were green and gold socks, a torch, cheer band, lapel pin, program, postcard, cards, earplugs, stickers and a Kodak CD Rom. The torch and cheer band – set with movement sensitive lights – illuminated the darkened stands during the Fire segment, Arrivals segment and the lighting of the cauldron, while Australian Olympic Team socks appeared prominently on the sea of waving hands during Australia's entry to the stadium.[13]

The Prelude segment lasted an hour before the ceremony started. It was hosted by Seven Network's Sports Commentator David Fordham and news presenter Chris Bath, while seven months pregnant with her first child, live on the northern stage in the stadium. It featured various performances, including a Welcome to Country from the Wangal people, children singing the official Team Welcome Song "G'day G'day", a recognition of the Bidding team and the Olympic volunteers, a recognition from the United Nations of the Olympic Truce, Mexican waves, and a singalong of "Waltzing Matilda" with John Williamson.[14][15][16]

The ceremony began with a countdown composed by Richard Mills performed by Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The large screens counted down from 60 to 1. Starting at 23, footage from previous games appeared with the phrase "Opening Ceremony" at the end.

The Opening Ceremony began with a tribute to the heritage of the Australian Stock Horse, with the arrival of a lone rider, Steve Jefferys, whose Australian Stock Horse, Ammo, reared. Jefferys then cracked his stockwhip and 120 riders and their Stock Horses entered the stadium performing a 'musical ride' with many intricate steps, to the music of Bruce Rowland who composed a special Olympic version of the main theme which he had composed for the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River.[17] Each rider held a flag with the Olympic Rings coloured turquoise. One of the configurations formed the five Olympic Rings.

A giant banner painted by Sydney artist Ken Done was unfurled, depicting the Sydney Harbour Bridge in bright colours, saying "G'Day" to the world.

The Governor-General Sir William Deane, the Prime Minister John Howard and the President of the IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch, arrived after a jazz fanfare was performed by James Morrison and Swing City, his brother's Big Band. The Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair, was then sung by both Human Nature and Julie Anthony, accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Simone Young.[18] The Stock Horse riders still on the field then swapped their Olympic flags for Australian flags before riding out of the stadium.

• Segment Director: Ignatius Jones[19]
• Costume Designer: Kristian Fredrikson
• Graphic Designer for G'day Bridge: Ken Done

This segment celebrated Australia's affinity with the sea with the stadium floor being turned into a beach setting. The hero girl, Nikki Webster,[20] arrived in beachwear and basks in the light. She seemed to fall asleep on the beach and drift off into a dream. The performers represented the sea and the various aquatic fauna appear and move around the arena floor. The hero girl was then hoisted up in the air by overhead wires and swam with the sea creatures.[21] Other swimmers were also present, being coached (on a large screen) by Australian swimming coach Laurie Lawrence. This was a tribute to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

• Segment Director & Choreographer: Meryl Tankard
• Assistant Director & Choreographer: Steven McTaggart
• Designer: Dan Potra
• Costume Designers: Dan Potra and Meryl Tankard

The Awakening segment featured a 32-meter diameter cloth showing a Wandjina spirit - a large head that shows the eyes and nose, but with no mouth.

The Awakening segment celebrated Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, which was claimed at the time to date back over 60,000 years. A special welcome was made to countries competing at the Games. A Yolngu elder and songman, Djakapurra Munyarryun,[22][23] guided the girl through the indigenous ceremonies of connections to the land and the protocols for welcoming others to indigenous land. The segment featured Indigenous Australians from the Central Desert, the Numbulwar, Yirrkala, Ramingining and Manningrida peoples of Arnhem Land, Torres Strait Islanders, and the Koorie clan of NSW. The segment ended when the Wandjina-ancestral spirit appeared (in the form of a 32-metre diameter cloth in the style of rock portrait) roaring and flinging a lightning bolt to ignite a bushfire.[24][21]

• Segment Directors: Stephen Page and Rhoda Roberts
• Designer: Peter England
• Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin
• Choreographers: Stephen Page, Matthew Doyle, Elma Kris and Peggy Misi

The Nature segment

The Fire and Nature segment showcased the Australian outback, wildlife and flora. It began with various fire performers (jugglers, breathers) moving across the stadium floor, symbolising the advance of a bushfire.[21] In the aftermath, performers representing the flora stir as the land is replenished with water and life. The stadium floor is filled with performers dressed in costumes representing various flowers including Australia's distinctive wild flowers such as the Golden Wattle (Australia's national flower), the Waratah (State flower of NSW), the Sturt's Desert Pea, Water Lilies and Eucalypt flowers.[21] The fauna, which were represented by seven large paintings by Jeffrey Sammuels, were then revealed, depicting the indigenous animal life in Australia. The flowers once more were illuminated before moving out of the stadium.[21]

Fire credits:

• Segment Director: David Atkins
• Choreographer: Jason Coleman
• Costume Designers: Paula Ryan, Michael Wilkinson

Nature credits:

• Segment Director: Peter Wilson
• Designer: Eamon D'Arcy
• Choreographer: Doug Jack
• Charting Choreographer: Jason Olthoff
• Artwork Graphic Design: Jeffrey Samuels

In the Tin Symphony segment, cases of the European settlement in Australia were shown, and the development of Australia into a rural and civic country.[21] This segment began with the arrival of Captain James Cook and crew, with bicycles to represent his ship, HM Bark Endeavour, during Captain Cook's exploration of the Australian east coast. The performer acting as Captain Cook lit a firework to start the segment. A caged fake rabbit was shown aboard the ship.

Tin Symphony Part 1— The music, co-written and co-produced by Ian Cooper and John Frohlich, includes an Irish jig montaged with drums, bush sounds and voice.[25] A multitude of performers dress as the iconic Australian bushranger Ned Kelly (with costumes based on Sir Sidney Nolan's series of Ned Kelly paintings) then appear onto the stadium floor, with other symbolic items of the outback such as corrugated iron and storm water tanks present. A mechanical horse like vehicle was present which then changed into a wind mill. Cultural items such as woodcutting and whip cracking were showcased. Irish dancers present in this section danced on the corrugated iron sheets, with umbrellas made up to look like giant cogs and wheels to represent the industrial growth of Australia.[21]

Tin Symphony Part 2— The tempo changes as Australia's rural aspects were introduced. In the middle of the stadium floor, a shed was constructed from the corrugated iron sheets. Out of the shed comes a unique representation of sheep, an important livestock. The sheep were represented by performers in cardboard boxes, that move along with the music. Australian suburbia is then represented as the performers emerged from the cardboard boxes with simulations of Victa lawn mowers to form the Olympics Rings.[21] The giant mechanical horse then made another appearance, before the hero girl gave an apple to it. At the end of the segment, the mechanical horse neighed to signify the conclusion.

• Segment Director: Nigel Jamieson
• Designer: Dan Potra
• Choreographers: Karen Johnson Mortimer, Doug Jack, Legs on the Wall
• Charting Choreographer: Jason Olthoff

The Arrivals segment of the ceremony celebrated Australia's multiculturalism and its migrant culture, with a float and costumes symbolising each continent.[21] First, migrants from the African continent, danced into the stadium wearing black costumes. They were followed by dancers in yellow symbolising the arrival of Asian migrants into Australia, led by two yellow Chinese Lion dancers. European migrants were introduced by the colour green, further adding to the growing party on the stadium floor. The music changed again and a splash of red symbolising the arrival of migrants from the Americas was introduced into the stadium. Finally, performers representing migrants from the various Pacific Islands, with an emphasis on New Zealand came into the stadium in vivid blue costumes. The five floats manoeuvred into position to represent their respective coloured rings of the Olympic flag. By the crescendo of the segment, four of the floats (Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific Islands) surround the African float as the performers from all the represented continents rushed out from the middle to form the Australian continent.

The performers stood with arms out reached towards the audience, forming the coastline of Australia and thus symbolising Australia's welcoming arms to people from all over the world. Then many children dressed in the Olympic colours flooded into the arena and formed a solid shape of Australia, as the performers from the sequence before left the performance floor. Webster then performed the song Under Southern Skies with five people representing each continent standing with her, as the children formed a large representation of the Southern Cross constellation with their lanterns.[21]

• Segment Director: Lex Marinos
• Designer: Eamon D'Arcy
• Costume Designers: Jenny Kee, Lisa Ho, Norma Moriceau, Peter Morrissey
• Choreographer: Jason Coleman

The Eternity segment showed thousands of tap dancers.

The next segment began with Adam Garcia standing on the central float in the middle of the stadium floor. He began his performance by tap dancing and inviting more performers onto the stadium. More dancers filed onto the stands where the audience was sitting who also joined in with performance. Several cherry picker cranes in the centre with the floats began to slowly rise up with the crescendo of the music. The dancers symbolised the workers building a new Australia for the future. The dancers in the stands rushed out onto the stadium floor to join their fellow dancers. Some of the dancers held square sheets of steel that they both danced on and held in their hands to reflect light out as they danced. By the finale of this segment, large steel frames rose from each float to form a tall structure. In the middle were the hero girl and the Aboriginal songman, who looked wondrously out into the audience, surveying the workers.[21] Then as the close of the presentation approached, the performers from the other segments all came out and joined in with those already dancing. A large representation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge composed of sparklers was set off in the middle of the stadium with the word "Eternity" shown in the middle of the bridge.[5]

This segment was inspired by the then popular theatrical show Tap Dogs, and the soon to be released movie, Bootmen. Peewee Ferris's remix of the music was played as the performers slowly moved their way out of the stadium.

• Segment Director & Designer: Nigel Triffitt
• Tap Choreographer: Dein Perry
• Choreographer: Doug Jack Mandala
• Airboard Choreographer: Jason Coleman
• Bridge Graphic Design: Ken Done

The Olympic Band performs

A massed marching band of 2,000 musicians performed a melody of Australian and international classics, and previous Olympic themes. It included "Also Sprach Zarathustra", "Chariots of Fire", "Ode to Joy", "Bugler's Dream", "Waltzing Matilda", and John Williams "Olympic Fanfare & Theme". The band consisted of 1,000 Australian musicians, with the remaining 1,000 musicians being from other countries around the world.[26] The massed band was so large that six conductors were required for the segment. The band members wore Driza-Bone riding coats which had been especially modified for the band members.[27][28] The band was one of the few live sound creations of the night.

Marching bands have been a staple and part of the tradition in Summer Olympic Ceremonies throughout the 20th century. However, this segment was controversial in the lead up in the local media, over the fact that, when announced in 1999, three-quarters of the band were from overseas while ignoring Sydney based wind bands.[29] The organisers had to renegotiate the number of international performer invitations for this segment so that half the band was made up of Australian performers on the night. Birch always envisioned the band to be both larger than anyone had seen at an Olympic ceremony, and for an international band to welcome international athletes.[26] Reviews immediately after the ceremony stated that the band was so "skilled and entertaining in their fashion" that "it was hard to believe that their part was ever in doubt."[17][30] In contrast, Peter FitzSimons opined that the band was a non-sequitur compared to the rest of the Australiana pageantry, and was seen as an element of cocacolanisation by some in Australia.[17] Since 2000, marching and wind bands have not seen an major appearance at an Olympics ceremony.

Once the Sydney 2000 Olympic Band made their introduction, they took their place in front of the ceremony stage, and volunteers came out to begin the Parade of Nations. Twenty eight of the larger nations entered under a music piece of their country played by the Marching Band (e.g. Land of Hope and Glory was played for Great Britain, Sakura Sakura was played for Japan, Siyahamba was played for South Africa and The Stars and Stripes Forever was played for the United States), while smaller countries entered in with various Olympic Anthems, Percussion Cadences, and The Warriors as a nod to Australian wind band composer Percy Grainger.[31] As is Olympic tradition, Greece entered first in honour of its position as birthplace of the Olympics, and host nation Australia entered last.

As in the last Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the last Winter Olympics in Nagano, the countries entered in English alphabetical order. This was also to be seen during the next Olympics, in Salt Lake City.

A record of 199 nations entered the stadium with the exception of Afghanistan, a nation banned by the IOC in 1999 because of the extremist rule of the Taliban's oppression on women and its sports.[32][33] The parade of nations also featured a unified entrance by the athletes of the North and South Korea, holding a specially designed unification flag: a white background flag with a blue map of the Korean peninsula; however, the two teams competed separately.[34][3] Four athletes from East Timor marched directly in the opening ceremonies as Individual Olympic Athletes before the host nation. Without the existence of the National Olympic Committee, they were allowed to compete under the Olympic flag.[35]

Veteran pop artists John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John[36] walked among the Olympic competitors and performed the theme song Dare to Dream, which was written especially for the occasion by award-winning songwriters Paul Begaud, Vanessa Corish and Wayne Tester. Begaud and Corish are Australian natives, born and raised in Sydney.

After a brief fanfare by David Stanhope, the President of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG), Michael Knight, and the President of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch made the opening addresses. In Knight's address, he spoke to the athletes directly about Australians love for sport, that while in the parade "the crowd cheered loudest for the home team, as it will at the sporting competitions," that "there is room in our hearts to support all of you wherever you have come from. Australians love sport, and we admire outstanding skill and courage."[37] Samaranch gave a recognition of Indigenous Australians, by summarising the artistic section in these words: "I would like to express our respect to those who have made Australia what it is today, a great country, with a special tribute to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."[3][37]

The event was officially opened by Governor General Sir William Deane. This was the first occasion that a Summer Olympics held in a Commonwealth realm was not opened by the monarch or a member of the Royal Family, although it was the second overall, behind the 1988 Winter Olympics.[38] Prime Minister John Howard had originally planned to open the games himself, with the agreement of the organising committee and the IOC. However, in November 1999 he changed his mind and advised the IOC that Deane would be opening the games. Howard said this was due to "a concern that my opening the Olympic Games would become a party political issue."[39][40]

19-year-old pop star Vanessa Amorosi sang Heroes Live Forever to signify the legacy left by sports stars all over the world.[36][16] The song was composed by John Gillard and Trevor White.

During the song, an enormous white flag the size of the stadium field was passed over the audience on the southern stand and was brought down over the crowd by workers. Whilst this happened, images of past sports legends were displayed on the flag. When the flag reached the athletes, a Dove of Peace was projected, followed by the Olympic Rings.[16] This section was a partial recreation of a scene at the 1992 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, where a large Olympic flag covered the athletes.[41]

The Olympic Flag was then carried around the arena by eight former Australian Olympic champions: Bill Roycroft, Murray Rose, Liane Tooth, Gillian Rolton, Marjorie Jackson, Lorraine Crapp, Michael Wenden and Nick Green. During the raising of the Olympic flag, the Olympic Hymn was sung in Greek by the Millennium Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, signifying the large Greek population of Australia.

The Olympic Oaths were taken by then captain of the Australian Women's Hockey Team Rechelle Hawkes on behalf of the athletes,[42] and by Australian Water Polo Referee Peter Kerr on behalf of the officials.[43]

The Olympic Flame arriving at its final resting place

For the first time in recent Olympic history, the opening ceremony concluded with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Tina Arena, the Sydney Children's Choir and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed The Flame,[36] while showing archive footage of some highlights of the torch relay on the large screens, then cutting to live footage outside the stadium of Australian Olympic Gold Medalist Herb Elliott with the torch.

Then, celebrating 100 years of women's participation in the Olympics,[11] former Australian women Olympic champions and medalists: Betty Cuthbert and Raelene Boyle,[16] Dawn Fraser,[44] Shirley Strickland de la Hunty,[44] Shane Gould[16] and Debbie Flintoff-King[44] brought the torch through the stadium, before handing it over to Cathy Freeman.[45] Freeman then climbed a long set of stairs towards a circular pool of water. She walked into the middle of the water and ignited the cauldron around her feet in a ring of fire. The cauldron then rose out from the water, above Freeman's head, and then was transported up a long waterfall, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal above the stadium.[3][11]

The planned climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a sensor that malfunctioned, which also severed the communications cable to override the program. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up the waterfall to the top of the stadium. In interviews after the ceremony, the organizers stated that when the cause of the problem was discovered, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued its course, and the ceremony concluded with a fireworks display.[4] 20-years later, some engineers stated it was fixed through a backup radio signal to the cauldron.[46][47]

• Concept: Ric Birch, Michael Scott-Mitchell
• Segment Director: Richard Wherrett
• Cauldron Designer: Michael Scott-Mitchell