Sydney Olympics Kick Off

On Sep. 16, 2000, the opening ceremonies were held for the twenty-seventh Summer Olympic Games.  

The Games took place in Sydney, Australia marking just the second time the Summer Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere.

The United States would finish the Olympics atop the medal standings with a total of 94, as well as the most golds of any nation with 37.  

The host country, Australia, finished in a tie for third with China for total medals with 58 and finished fourth with 16 gold medals in the most successful Olympics for the nation.  

Marion Jones of the United States, who won three golds and two bronze medals, gave them all back in 2007 after confessing that she had taken tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), a substance that is banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC officially stripped Jones and her relay teammates of their medals shortly after her confession, however, her teammates were given an opportunity to appeal the decision.  

Jones’ teammates would eventually have their medals reinstated, while Jones was disgraced and would later spend six months in prison for lying to federal agents.