The Olympic Games have always been the stage for memorable feats and performances. The history of the Games contains a series of outstanding individual names and achievements which have marked sports history since the beginning of the century, always characterised by respect for the Olympic ideals of equality and Fair Play.
The Football Tournaments of the Centennial Olympiad fit perfectly into this continuing scenario. The historic victory of the United States women, gold medallists in the first-ever Women's Olympic Football Tournament, and that of the young Nigerians in the Men's Tournament, the first gold medal for an African team in Olympic football, have written brilliant new chapters in this fabulous unfolding saga.
More important, the two victories were achieved in the true Olympic spirit. Just as we had seen at the World Cup in the United States two years earlier, the competitions were marked by their sense of Fair Play, not only on the field of play but throughout the stadia.
Once again, football led the way at the Olympic Games as far as public interest was concerned, with more fans flocking to see these matches than any other sport. Not even the fact that the games were played in cities outside Atlanta could diminish their impact on the Olympic experience.
This Report by FIFA's Technical Study Group will reflect not only the technical excellence of the matches but also the environment in which they were played. It is thus an essential post-event document for the continuity of our sport, serving not only as a reflection on the Games of 1996 but also as a perspective for the next Olympiad, in Sydney in the year 2000.
Looking ahead to those Games, it is my utmost wish that football may once again play the central role in the Games which, by its tradition and its popularity, it so clearly deserves.
Dr. João Havelange, President of FIFA