第26届奥林匹克运动会1996年7月19日至8月4日在美国的亚特兰大举行。奥运圣火的传递大多安排平民，在美国本土传递的距离也超过1984年洛杉矶奥运会9656公里的长度。最后点燃圣火坛的是深受美国人民喜爱的拳王阿里。在美国总统克林顿宣布大会开幕后，女子篮球运动员特雷萨·埃德沃兹和跳水裁判员霍比·比林斯利分别代表运动员和裁判员进行了宣誓。

KEY FACTS

Opening date: 19 July 1996

Closing date: 04 August 1996

Country of the host city: Atlanta (USA)

Sports: 26

ATLANTA 1996 Games of the XXVI Olympiad

The 1996 Games were given a dramatic start when the cauldron was lit by Muhammad Ali. On 27 July during a concert held in the Centennial Olympic Park, a terrorist bomb killed one person and injured a further 110 people, but the Atlanta Games are best remembered for their sporting achievements. A record-setting 79 nations won medals and 53 won gold. Carl Lewis became only the third person to win the same individual event four times and the fourth person to earn a ninth gold medal. Naim Suleymanoglu became the first weightlifter to win a third gold medal. Michael Johnson smashed the 200m world record to complete a 200m and 400m double.

Do You Know? 你知道么？

A women-only sport was introduced: softball.

本届奥运会新增设了一个女子项目：垒球