1996 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations

none During the Parade of Nations portion of the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from each country participating in the Olympics paraded in the arena, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Olympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country. Parade order As the nation of the first modern Olympic Games, Greece entered the stadium first; whereas, the host nation of the United States marched last. Other countries entered in alphabetical order in the language of the host country (English), according with tradition and IOC guidelines. November 2005 Technical Manual on Ceremonies http://www.gamesmonitor.org.uk/files/Technical_Manual_on_Ceremonies.pdf International Olympic Committee 6 October 2019 40 Whilst most countries entered under their short names, a few entered under more formal or alternative names, mostly due to political and naming disputes. Macedonia entered as "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'" because of the naming dispute with Greece. The Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) entered with the compromised name and flag of "Chinese Taipei" under T so that they did not enter together with conflicting People's Republic of China (commonly known as China), which entered as the "People's Republic of China" under C. The Republic of the Congo entered as just "Congo" while the Democratic Republic of Congo entered under its former name, Zaire. Iran, Moldova, Laos, Brunei and the United States all entered under their formal names, respectively "Islamic Republic of Iran", "Republic of Moldova", "Lao People's Democratic Republic", "Brunei Darussalam" and "United States of America". A record of 197 nations entered the stadium with a combined total of 10,318 athletes.Longman Jere Atlanta 1996: The Games Begin; In Atlanta, Festivities Touched by Sorrow https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/19/sports/atlanta-1996-the-games-begin-in-atlanta-festivities-touched-by-sorrow.html The New York Times 19 July 1996 22 September 2013 Twenty-four nations made their Olympic debut, including eleven of the former Soviet republics, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, that had previously competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992 and Soviet Union before that. Russia competed independently for the first time since 1912. Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the Games independently for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, whereas Cambodia returned officially after its 24-year absence under the Khmer Republic.Fontaine Chris Pride of Cambodia strut Olympic stage http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/pride-cambodia-strut-olympic-stage Phnom Penh Post 9 September 2000 20 September 2013 Notable flag bearers in the opening ceremony featured the following athletes: weightlifter Pyrros Dimas (Greece); eventing rider Andrew Hoy (Australia); nine-time Olympian and Star sailor Hubert Raudaschl (Austria); 1984 Olympic middle-distance champion Joaquim Cruz (Brazil) in the 800 metres; track sprinters Charmaine Crooks (Canada) and Marie-José Pérec (France); defending Olympic long-distance champions Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) and Khalid Skah (Morocco), both in the 10,000 metres; fencers Arnd Schmitt (Germany), Bence Szabó (Hungary), and Giovanna Trillini (Italy); rowing legend Steve Redgrave (Great Britain); swimmers Raimundas Mažuolis (Lithuania) in sprint freestyle and Rafał Szukała (Poland) in the butterfly; windsurfer Barbara Kendall (New Zealand); hurdler and world champion Brigita Bukovec (Slovenia); defending Olympic champions Jan-Ove Waldner (Sweden) in men's table tennis singles, and Andrey Abduvaliyev (Tajikistan) in the hammer throw; pole vaulter and world record holder Sergey Bubka (Ukraine); and super heavyweight wrestlers Alexander Karelin (Russia) in Greco-Roman, and Bruce Baumgartner (United States) in freestyle.Kawakami Tim Wrapped in Emotions : U.S. Flag-Bearer Baumgartner Loves Honor but Hates Remembering Wrestling Tragedy https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-20-ss-26188-story.html Los Angeles Times 20 July 1996 22 September 2013 List The following is a list of each country's announced flag bearer. The list is sorted by the order in which each nation appears in the parade of nations. The names are given in their official designations by the IOC. This table is sortable by country name (in English), the flag bearer's name, and the flag bearer's sport. OrderCountryFlag bearerSport 1 GRE 1996 Summer Pyrros Dimas Weightlifting 2 AFG 1996 Summer Muhamed Aman Boxing 3 ALB 1996 Summer Mirela Manjani Athletics 4 ALG 1996 Summer Karim El-Mahouab Handball 5 ASA 1996 Summer Maselino Masoe Boxing 6 AND 1996 Summer Aitor Osorio Swimming 7 ANG 1996 Summer Palmira de Almeida Handball 8 ANT 1996 Summer Olympics Antigua & Barbuda Heather Samuel Athletics 9 ARG 1996 Summer Carolina Mariani Judo 10 ARM 1996 Summer Aghvan Grigoryan Weightlifting 11 ARU 1996 Summer Isnardo Faro Weightlifting 12 AUS 1996 Summer Andrew Hoy Equestrian 13 AUT 1996 Summer Hubert Raudaschl Sailing 14 AZE 1996 Summer Nazim Huseynov Judo 15 BAH 1996 Summer Frank Rutherford Athletics 16 BRN 1996 Summer Mohamed Al-Sala Sailing 17 BAN 1996 Summer Saiful Alam Shooting 18 BAR 1996 Summer Obadele Thompson Athletics 19 BLR 1996 Summer Aleksey Medvedev Wrestling 20 BEL 1996 Summer Jean-Michel Saive Table tennis 21 BIZ 1996 Summer Eugène Muslar Athletics 22 BEN 1996 Summer Laure Kuetey Athletics 23 BER 1996 Summer Brian Wellman Athletics 24 BHU 1996 Summer Jubzhang Jubzhang Archery 25 BOL 1996 Summer Policarpio Calizaya Athletics 26 BIH 1996 Summer Olympics Bosnia & Herzegovina Islam Ðugum Athletics 27 BOT 1996 Summer Justice Dipeba Athletics 28 BRA 1996 Summer Joaquim Cruz Athletics 29 IVB 1996 Summer Keita Cline Athletics 30 BRU 1996 Summer Olympics Brunei Darussalam Jefri Bolkiah Shooting 31 BUL 1996 Summer Dimo Tonev Volleyball 32 BUR 1996 Summer Franck Zio Athletics 33 BDI 1996 Summer Dieudonné Kwizéra Athletics 34 CAM 1996 Summer To Rithya Athletics 35 CMR 1996 Summer Georgette Nkoma Athletics 36 CAN 1996 Summer Charmaine Crooks Athletics 37 CPV 1996 Summer Manuel Jesús Rodrígues Volleyball (official) 38 CAY 1996 Summer Carson Ebanks Sailing 39 CAF 1996 Summer Mickaël Conjungo Athletics 40 CHA 1996 Summer Kaltouma Nadjina Athletics 41 CHI 1996 Summer Sebastian Keitel Athletics 42 CHN 1996 Summer Olympics People's Republic of China Liu Yudong Basketball 43 COL 1996 Summer Marlon Pérez Arango Cycling 44 COM 1996 Summer Faissoil Ben Daoud Athletics (coach) 45 CGO 1996 Summer Olympics Congo Léontine Tsiba Athletics 46 COK 1996 Summer Sam Nunuke Pera Weightlifting 47 CRC 1996 Summer Henry Núñez Judo 48 CIV 1996 Summer Olympics Côte d'Ivoire Jean-Olivier Zirignon Athletics 49 CRO 1996 Summer Perica Bukić Water polo 50 CUB 1996 Summer Rolando Tucker Fencing 51 CYP 1996 Summer Antonakis Andreou Shooting 52 CZE 1996 Summer Václav Chalupa Rowing 53 DEN 1996 Summer Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen Badminton 54 DJI 1996 Summer Hussein Ahmed Salah Athletics 55 DMA 1996 Summer Jérôme Romain Athletics 56 DOM 1996 Summer Joan Guzmán Boxing 57 ECU 1996 Summer Felipe Delgado Swimming 58 EGY 1996 Summer Hosam Abdallah Handball 59 ESA 1996 Summer Juan Vargas Judo 60 GEQ 1996 Summer Gustavo Envela Mahua Athletics 61 EST 1996 Summer Jüri Jaanson Rowing 62 ETH 1996 Summer Derartu Tulu Athletics 63 FIJ 1996 Summer Jone Delai Athletics 64 FIN 1996 Summer Mikko Kolehmainen Canoeing 65 MKD 1996 Summer Olympics The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Vladimir Bogdevski Handball (referee) 66 FRA 1996 Summer Marie-José Pérec Athletics 67 GAB 1996 Summer Roger Oyembo Chef de mission 68 GAM 1996 Summer Olympics Gambia Dawda Jallow Athletics 69 GEO 1996 Summer Giorgi Kandelaki Boxing 70 GER 1996 Summer Arnd Schmitt Fencing 71 GHA 1996 Summer Moro Tijani Boxing 72 GBR 1996 Summer Steve Redgrave Rowing 73 GRN 1996 Summer Jason Charter Athletics (coach) 74 GUM 1996 Summer Patrick Sagisi Swimming 75 GUA 1996 Summer Attila Solti Shooting 76 GUI 1996 Summer Joseph Loua Athletics 77 GBS 1996 Summer Talata Embalo Wrestling 78 GUY 1996 Summer John Douglas Boxing 79 HAI 1996 Summer Adler Volmar Judo 80 HON 1996 Summer Darwin Angeles Boxing 81 HKG 1996 Summer Chan Sau Ying Athletics 82 HUN 1996 Summer Bence Szabó Fencing 83 ISL 1996 Summer Jón Arnar Magnússon Athletics 84 IND 1996 Summer Pargat Singh Field hockey 85 INA 1996 Summer Hendrik Simangunsong Boxing 86 IRI 1996 Summer Olympics Islamic Republic of Iran Lida Fariman Shooting 87 IRQ 1996 Summer Raed Ahmed Weightlifting 88 IRL 1996 Summer Francie Barrett Boxing 89 ISR 1996 Summer Lydia Hatuel Fencing 90 ITA 1996 Summer Giovanna Trillini Fencing 91 JAM 1996 Summer Juliet Cuthbert Athletics 92 JPN 1996 Summer Ryoko Tamura Judo 93 JOR 1996 Summer Walid Al-Awazem Judo (referee) 94 KAZ 1996 Summer Yermakhan Ibraimov Boxing 95 KEN 1996 Summer Paul Tergat Athletics 96 KOR 1996 Summer Olympics Korea Choi Cheon-Sik Volleyball 97 KUW 1996 Summer Abdullah Al-Rashidi Shooting 98 KGZ 1996 Summer Sergey Ashihmin Swimming 99 LAO 1996 Summer Olympics Lao People's Democratic Republic Thongdy Amnouayphone Athletics 100 LAT 1996 Summer Einārs Tupurītis Athletics 101 LIB 1996 Summer Mohamed Al-Aywan Weightlifting 102 LES 1996 Summer Jassie Mathunta Chef de mission 103 LBR 1996 Summer Kouty Mawenh Athletics 104 LBA 1996 Summer Olympics Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Mehdi Abdulkheirat Official 105 LIE 1996 Summer Birgit Blum Judo 106 LTU 1996 Summer Raimundas Mažuolis Swimming 107 LUX 1996 Summer Anne Kremer Tennis 108 MAD 1996 Summer Dally Randriantefy Tennis 109 MAW 1996 Summer John Mwathiwa Athletics 110 MAS 1996 Summer Nor Saiful Zaini Field hockey 111 MDV 1996 Summer Ahmed Shageef Athletics 112 MLI 1996 Summer Monique Ross Envoy 113 MLT 1996 Summer Carol Galea Athletics 114 MTN 1996 Summer Noureddine Ould MéniraMénira claimed he never actually got to hold the flag, as national officials gave it to another unidentified individual.https://carrefor.info/node/4904 ولد منيره العداء الموريتاني الذي حطم الرقم القياسي الوطني عدة مرات ولم ينل من طرف القائمين على الشأن الرياضي أي تشجيع ar carrefor.info 8 April 2025 Athletics 115 MRI 1996 Summer Khemraj Naïko Athletics 116 MEX 1996 Summer Nancy Contreras Cycling 117 MDA 1996 Summer Olympics Republic of Moldova Vadim Vacarciuc Weightlifting 118 MON 1996 Summer Thierry Vatrican Judo 119 MGL 1996 Summer Dolgorsürengiin Sumyaabazar Wrestling 120 MAR 1996 Summer Khalid Skah Athletics 121 MOZ 1996 Summer Maria de Lurdes Mutola Athletics 122 MYA 1996 Summer Soe Myint Shooting 123 NAM 1996 Summer Friedhelm Sack Shooting 124 NRU 1996 Summer Marcus Stephen Weightlifting 125 NEP 1996 Summer Tika Bogati Athletics 126 NED 1996 Summer Nico Rienks Rowing 127 AHO 1996 Summer Sergio Murray Judo 128 NZL 1996 Summer Barbara Kendall Sailing 129 NCA 1996 Summer Walter Martínez Shooting 130 NIG 1996 Summer Abdou Manzo Athletics 131 NGR 1996 Summer Mary Onyali-Omagbemi Athletics 132 NOR 1996 Summer Linda Andersen Sailing 133 OMA 1996 Summer Khalaf Al-Khatri Shooting 134 PAK 1996 Summer Mansoor Ahmed Field hockey 135 PLE 1996 Summer Majed Abu Maraheel Athletics 136 PAN 1996 Summer Eileen Coparropa Swimming 137 PNG 1996 Summer Subul Babo Athletics 138 PAR 1996 Summer Ramón Jiménez Gaona Athletics 139 PRK 1996 Summer Olympics Democratic People's Republic of Korea Chae Ra-U Table tennis (referee) 140 PER 1996 Summer Juan Giha Shooting 141 PHI 1996 Summer Reynaldo Galido Boxing 142 POL 1996 Summer Rafał Szukała Swimming 143 POR 1996 Summer Fernanda Ribeiro Athletics 144 PUR 1996 Summer Ivelisse Echevarría Softball 145 QAT 1996 Summer Ibrahim Ismail Muftah Athletics 146 ROM 1996 Summer Iulică Ruican Rowing 147 RUS 1996 Summer Olympics Russian Federation Alexander Karelin Wrestling 148 RWA 1996 Summer Parfait Ntukamyagwe Athletics (coach) 149 SKN 1996 Summer Olympics Saint Kitts & Nevis Diane Dunrod-Francis Athletics 150 LCA 1996 Summer Michelle Baptiste Athletics 151 VIN 1996 Summer Olympics Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Eswort Coombs Athletics 152 SMR 1996 Summer Manlio Molinari Athletics 153 STP 1996 Summer Olympics São Tomé & Príncipe Sortelina Pires Athletics 154 KSA 1996 Summer Khaled Al-Khalidi Athletics 155 SEN 1996 Summer Ibou Faye Athletics 156 SEY 1996 Summer Rival Cadeau Boxing 157 SLE 1996 Summer Eunice Barber Athletics 158 SIN 1996 Summer Lee Wung Yew Shooting 159 SVK 1996 Summer Jozef Lohyňa Wrestling 160 SLO 1996 Summer Brigita Bukovec Athletics 161 SOL 1996 Summer Joseph Onika Athletics (coach) 162 SOM 1996 Summer Abdi Bile Athletics 163 RSA 1996 Summer Masibulele Makepula Boxing 164 ESP 1996 Summer Luis Doreste Sailing 165 SRI 1996 Summer Sriyani Kulawansa Athletics 166 SUD 1996 Summer Mahmoud Musa Abdullah Athletics (coach) 167 SUR 1996 Summer Enrico Linscheer Swimming 168 SWZ 1996 Summer Daniel Sibandze Athletics 169 SWE 1996 Summer Jan-Ove Waldner Table tennis 170 SUI 1996 Summer Stefan Schärer Handball 171 SYR 1996 Summer Olympics Syrian Arab Republic Ghada Shouaa Athletics 172 TPE 1996 Summer Tu Tsai-hsing Shooting 173 TJK 1996 Summer Andrey Abduvaliyev Athletics 174 TAN 1996 Summer Olympics United Republic of Tanzania Ikaji Salum Athletics 175 THA 1996 Summer Vissanu Sophanich Athletics 176 TOG 1996 Summer Téko Folligan Athletics 177 TGA 1996 Summer Paea Wolfgramm Boxing 178 TRI 1996 Summer Olympics Trinidad & Tobago Gene Samuel Cycling 179 TUN 1996 Summer Iskander Hachicha Judo 180 TUR 1996 Summer Derya Büyükuncu Swimming 181 TKM 1996 Summer Rozy Rejepov Wrestling 182 UGA 1996 Summer Mary Musoke Table tennis 183 UKR 1996 Summer Sergey Bubka Athletics 184 UAE 1996 Summer Nabil Abdul Tahlak Shooting 185 URU 1996 Summer Marcelo Filippini Tennis 186 UZB 1996 Summer Timur Ibragimov Boxing 187 VAN 1996 Summer Tawai Keiruan Athletics 188 VEN 1996 Summer Francisco Sánchez Swimming 189 VIE 1996 Summer Nguyễn Hữu Huy Judo (coach) 190 ISV 1996 Summer Lisa Neuburger Sailing 191 SAM 1996 Summer Olympics Western Samoa Bob Gasio Boxing 192 YEM 1996 Summer Abdullah Al-Izani Wrestling 193 YUG 1996 Summer Olympics Yugoslavia Igor Milanović Water polo 194 ZAI 1996 Summer Lukengu Ngalula Basketball 195 ZAM 1996 Summer Davis Mwale Boxing 196 ZIM 1996 Summer Tendai Chimusasa Athletics 197 USA 1996 Summer Olympics United States of America Bruce Baumgartner Wrestling Notes References See also 1992 Summer Olympics national flag bearers 2000 Summer Olympics national flag bearers 1994 Winter Olympics national flag bearers Flag bearers Category:Lists of Olympic flag bearers