Greece was the host country for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, from 13 to 29 August 2004. As the progenitor nation and in keeping with tradition, Greek athletes have competed at every Summer Olympics in the modern era, alongside Australia, Great Britain, and Switzerland. The Hellenic Olympic Committee fielded a total of 426 athletes to the Games, 215 men and 211 women, and had achieved automatic qualification places in all sports, with the exception of men's and women's field hockey. It was also the nation's largest team ever in Summer Olympic history since the first modern Games were held in 1896.
Unlike most of the Olympic opening ceremonies, where the country enters first as a tribute to its history as the birthplace of the ancient Olympics and the host of the first modern Olympics in 1896, the country entered the last in the opening ceremony as the host nation. However, the Greek flag-bearer entered first, honoring the traditional role of Greece in opening the Parade of Nations, and the whole Greek delegation entered at the end, the traditional place for the host nation.[2]
Greece left the Summer Olympic Games with a total of sixteen medals (six gold, six silver, and four bronze), finishing within the top fifteen position in the overall medal rankings.[3] At least a single medal was awarded to the Greek team in ten sports; five of them came from the track and field, including two prestigious golds. Greece also topped the medal tally in diving, gymnastics, judo, and sailing. Three Greek athletes added Olympic medals to their career hardware from the previous editions.
Among the nation's medalists were track hurdler Fani Halkia, race walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka, teenage judoka Ilias Iliadis, and diving duo Thomas Bimis and Nikolaos Siranidis, who won Greece's first ever Olympic gold medals in their respective disciplines.[4][5] Emerging as one of the greatest Olympic weightlifters of all time with three Olympic titles, Pyrros Dimas ended his illustrious sporting career with a bronze medal effort in the men's light heavyweight category on his fourth and final Olympic appearance.[6][7] Meanwhile, Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, who won the gold in Atlanta eight years earlier, and lit the Olympic flame at the conclusion of the opening ceremony, picked up his second medal with a silver in men's Mistral windsurfing.[8]
As the host nation, Greece automatically receives the full allocation of six individual places, alongside entry to both the men's and women's team events.
In athletics, the Greek team did not receive any automatic places for representing the host nation, as they had done in other sports. Greek athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).[9][10]
Key
Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
Q = Qualified for the next round
q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
WP:Ryan Rowland-Smith (2-0) LP:Sean Spencer (0-1) Home runs: GRE: P. Maestrales in 2nd, 1 RBI; J. Kavourias in 8th, 1 RBI AUS: B. Roneberg in 3rd; P. Gonzalez in 3rd, 2 RBIs; G. Roneberg in 6th, 1 RBI; 1 RBI; B. Kingman in 7th, 3 RBIs
WP:Panagiotis Sikaras (1-0) LP:W. E. Lucena (0-1) Home runs: GRE: C. Bellinger in 6th, 1 RBI; N. Markakis in 7th, 3 RBIs; C. A. Harris in 9th, 1 RBI ITA: J. Ramos Gizzi in 2nd, 1 RBI
Greece was guaranteed five male boxers at the Games by virtue of being the host nation, but the special 'host' places for men's boxing therefore became void, as the Greeks claimed places through the World Championships and the AIBA European Qualification Tournament.
As the host nation, the Greeks were automatically entitled to places in all four synchronized diving events, but for individual events, they had to qualify through their own performances through the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, and through the 2004 FINA Diving World Cup series.
Greece automatically received a team and the maximum number of individual competitors in show jumping, and at least a single spot each in dressage and eventing.
As the host nation, Greece received ten quota places which can be allocated to any of the fencing events. Additional places can be won in specific disciplines in a series of qualification events.
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage
Greek swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time):
Greece had not taken any formal part in qualification tournaments in taekwondo, as the Greeks already had four guaranteed places at their disposal, two for men, two for women.
^"Greece – Squad List". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
