ATLANTA — July 19, 2006 is the tenth anniversary of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Atlanta History Center will celebrate the anniversary starting July 15, 2006. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Gold Medalist Carl Lewis, and most importantly, Billy Payne, will mark the opening of the Centennial Olympic Games Museum. Atlanta native Billy Payne is credited with bringing the 1996 Games to Atlanta. He persevered, formed coalitions, and dreamed big.
The long and delicate process of winning the games is revealed with documents, items and first hand video stories. Mr. Payne worked on the project with other businessmen, politicians and leaders for years. Atlanta's history as the cradle of the civil rights movement was essential to its success. Civil rights leader Andrew Young worked with Mr. Payne and the Olympic Committee. Mr. Young became the first black mayor of Atlanta after working beside Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement.
According to a press release, the exhibition comprehensively tells the story of the Olympic movement, from ancient Greece to the present. It focuses on the Atlanta games, but gives an overview from 776 BC through modern times.
The 1996 Olympic Games changed Atlanta both physically and culturally. The games had a five billion dollar economic impact on the region. Neighborhoods changed permanently, especially Summerhill near the stadium. It had been a downtrodden, dangerous area of ramshackle housing. The building of the original stadium and expressway in the 1960s had triggered the decline of a formerly cohesive, stable, African American neighborhood. A gentrification process started before the games. It continues today, as the areas near the Olympic venues have become desirable places to build and to live. Northwest of Summerhill, Centennial Olympic Park is a beautiful public plaza increasingly surrounded by cultural destinations, from Imagine It! Children's Museum to Phillips Arena to CNN to the Atlanta Aquarium.
The 27,500 square foot new wing of the history center also holds a sports lab. Visitors can "compete" with athletes, biking, jumping, and comparing their performance to that of the Olympians. Tests of skill and speed engage children or adults in interactive learning.
The Centennial Olympic Games Museum is said to be one of the most significant collections of Olympic memorabilia, artifacts and information in the world. It will be a permanent part of the Atlanta History Center.