第28届夏季奥运会于2004年8月13日至29日在希腊首都雅典举行。奥运会开幕前的圣火传递开创了多项第一。为了纪念奥运会重新回到故乡，组委会对火炬传递路线进行了精心设计。本次奥运会火炬首次传遍了全世界的五大洲，并首次到达了非洲和南美洲，使世界各地的人们都有机会参与并体验这一盛大活动。圣火传遍历史上举办过夏季奥运会的所有城市，使这些城市有机会再次亲眼目睹奥运圣火，再次体验到奥运会带来的快乐。

KEY FACTS

Opening date: 13 August 2004

Closing date: 29 August 2004

Country of the host city: Athens (GRE)

Sports: 30

ATHENS  2004 Games of the XXVIII Olympiad

In 2004 the Olympic Games returned to Greece, the home of both the ancient Olympics and the first modern Olympics. For the first time ever a record 201 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Olympic Games. The overall tally for events on the programme was 301 (one more than in Sydney 2000). Popularity in the Games reached soared to new highs as 3.9 billion people had access to the television coverage compared to 3.6 billion for Sydney 2000. Women's wrestling was included in the program for the first time. Swimmer Michael Phelps won 6 gold medals and set a single-Games record with 8 total medals. Leontien Ziljaard-van Moorsel became the first female cyclist to earn 4 career gold medals and 6 total medals, while canoeist Birgit Fischer became the first athlete in any sport to win two medals in each of 5 Olympics. Runner Hicham El Guerrouj won both the 1,500m and the 5,000m, while on the women's side Kelly Holmes triumphed in both the 800m and the 1,500m. In team play, Argentina won the men's football tournament without giving up a goal, and the U.S. softball team won by outscoring their opponents 51-1.

Do You Know? 中国队取得奥运最好成绩

In preparation for hosting the 2008 Games, China had its most successful Olympics ever, with Chinese athletes winning 63 medals including 32 gold medals. (They won 59 total and 28 gold in 2000). Their victories came in 14 sports and included first-time championships in tennis, men's athletics, wrestling and canoeing.

为了备战2008年的奥运会，中国在本届奥运会上取得了空前出色的战绩，以金牌32枚、奖牌总数63枚的优异成绩一举登上了奖牌榜的第二位（其中奖牌总数列第三位），金牌数和奖牌总数两项指标都创下了中国自参加奥运会以来的单届最高纪录，均超过了在四年前悉尼奥运会上创造的历史最好成绩。而且夺金牌面也达到了历史新高，获得金牌的项目增加至13个大项。