Host City: Sydney, Australia Date Started: September 13, 2000 Date Finished: September 30, 2000 Events: 2
Participants: 391 (267 men and 124 women) from 20 countries Youngest Participant: Idriss Carlos Kameni (16 years, 209 days) Oldest Participant: Nelson Tapia (33 years, 357 days) Most Medals (Athlete): 99 athletes with 1 medal Most Medals (Country): 6 countries with 1 medal
Winning from behind and form-shattering results seemed to be the norm in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games football competition. Football is the most popular team sport played in the world. With the relaxation of the amateur regulation and the inclusion of the women's competition in the Olympic Games, the 'world game' has also become one of the most popular and thrilling Olympic sports. Although 2000 marked a hundred years of Olympic football, the first Games to include women's football were those in Atlanta, where also the first Olympic gold medal in the sport went to an African nation. The Sydney 2000 Games continued the challenge to the traditional order, when underdogs Cameroon and Norway, respectively, beat their more fancied rivals, Spain and the USA, in the men's and women's finals. The football tournament of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was the only sport played outside the host city. It was innovative and itinerant, with pool and semifinal games being played in four other capital cities around the nation. Crowds of over 90 000 and 70 000 for matches in Melbourne justified this decentralisation. Football, which had one million spectators at 48 matches, outdrew all other sports. The home crowd may have been disappointed by the performances of the Australian team, but the high scoring (an average of almost four goals per game) and nail-biting finishes kept them roaring for more.
Overview
The formats were the same in 2000 for both the menâs and womenâs tournaments. The women had eight teams separated into two four-team groups who played a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semi-finals and the knock-out phase. The men had 16 teams separated into four four-team groups who played a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarter-finals and the knock-out phase.
The womenâs field was selected as the top seven teams at the 1999 World Cup (Norway, Brazil, China, Germany, Nigeria, Sweden, and United States), along with host nation Australia. The 16 menâs teams qualified as follows â Australia as the host nation; four teams from the 1992 UEFA Europe Under-21 Championships (Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, Slovakia); three teams from an AFC (Asia) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Kuwait, Japan, Korea [South]); two teams from a CONCACAF (North & Central America/Caribbean) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Honduras, United States); two teams from a CONMEBOL (South America) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Brazil, Chile); and four teams from a CAF (Africa) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa). South Africa qualified in a two-match play-off against the Oceania qualifier, New Zealand.
The venues were six stadia spread around Australia as follows â Olympic Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales; Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales; Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Queensland; Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, South Australia; Bruce Stadium, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory; and Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria. The women only played in three stadia â Melbourne Cricket Ground, Bruce Stadium, and Sydney Football Stadium.
In the womenâs tournament Norway won the gold medal, defeating the United States, 3-2, in extra-time. Cameroon won the menâs gold medal, defeating Spain in a penalty shoot-out after tying after extra time, 2-2.
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics started on 15 September. The men's tournament is played by U-23 (under 23 years old) national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad. Article 1 of the tournament regulations states: "The Tournaments take place every four years, in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games. The associations affiliated to FIFA are invited to participate with their men's U-23 and women's representative teams."
Venues
Six venues were used during the tournament, four of them outside of Sydney at cities around Australia. Stadium Australia hosted the Final.
Sydney
Melbourne
Sydney
Stadium Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Sydney Football Stadium
Capacity: 110,000
Capacity: 98,000
Capacity: 42,500
Brisbane
Canberra
Adelaide
Brisbane Cricket Ground
Bruce Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Capacity: 37,000
Capacity: 25,011
Capacity: 20,000
* Hindmarsh Stadium only used during the Men's tournament. Temporary seating was added for the games.
Competition schedule
P
Preliminaries
¼
Quarterfinals
½
Semifinals
B
3rd place play-off
F
Final
Event↓/Date →
Wed 13
Thu 14
Fri 15
Sat 16
Sun 17
Mon 18
Tue 19
Wed 20
Thu 21
Fri 22
Sat 23
Sun 24
Mon 25
Tue 26
Wed 27
Thu 28
Fri 29
Sat 30
Men
P
P
P
P
P
P
¼
½
B
F
Women
P
P
P
P
P
P
½
B
F
Medal summary
Medal table (both men & women)
Rank
Nation
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1
Cameroon
1
0
0
1
Norway
1
0
0
1
3
Spain
0
1
0
1
United States
0
1
0
1
5
Chile
0
0
1
1
Germany
0
0
1
1
Totals (6 nations)
2
2
2
6
Women's Football
Host City: Sydney, Australia Venue(s): Bruce Stadium, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory; Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria; Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales Date Started: September 13, 2000 Date Finished: September 28, 2000 Format: Round-robin pools advance teams to single-elimination tournament of four teams.
Summary
As in 1996, seven of the quarter-finalists of the last World Cup were qualified for Sydney, which meant that the 1996 finalists - the United States and China - were drawn in the same pool with perennial stronghold Norway. The US, reigning World Champions, came out on top, with Norway also qualifying for the semis. The Scandinavians encountered Germany, and only won the match after a late own goal by Tina Wunderlich. The American squad dealt with the Brazilians, meaning the Americans and Norway would meet for the second time in the tournament. The Americans had won the first encounter 2-0, and scored early in the second game. [Espeseth] and Gulbrandsen then pulled Norway into the lead, only to see [Tiffeny Milbrett] score in the dying seconds of the match. As in their semi-final encounter in 1996, the match went into sudden death overtime. After 12 minutes, a pass by [Hege Riise] bounced off the arm of [Dagny Mellgren], who then picked up the ball and scored the golden goal. The Americans protested the hands ball, but Canadian referee Sonia Denoncourt ruled it unintentional and hence legal.
The highlight of the women's first round was the Group F game between the defending champions USA and the neversay-die team from Norway. The ease of the USA's 2–0 victory gave no hint of the dramatic rematch in the final. China, the women's soccer giant of Asia, had little trouble beating Nigeria 3–1 in a chilly Canberra. The host nation's team, the Matildas, played their second-round game against Sweden at the SFS. Australia took the lead in the 57th minute with a skilfully headed goal from defender Cheryl Salisbury, but Sweden equalised with a penalty from captain Malin Andersson. It was a tough game and the Australians were lucky to draw, Sweden having 14 corners to Australia's one and 18 shots at goal to Australia's five. Sunday 24 September, Day 9, saw the women's semifinal teams decided. The semifinalists for the women's competition were never really in doubt. Group E was dominated by Germany. Their direct, physical style compared dramatically with the more flamboyant play of the Brazilians. Group F was a little more exciting, though Nigeria did not perform to expectations. The USA was held to a draw by China but easily accounted for the other two sides. Norway came second and confirmed their status as Europe's best. The women's semifinals were both dour games, illustrating that sudden-death football is often not 'pretty'. Brazil, attempting to match the élan of their male counterparts, led by their captain, the legendary Sissi (Sisleide Lima do Amor), faced the Olympic and world champions, the USA. The USA, despite winning only 1–0, was always in control and the Brazilians could not breach their organised defence. The goal came in a goalmouth scramble, when Mia Hamm turned in a Brandi Chastain free kick. The second semifinal, played at the SFS, was an all-European clash between Germany and Norway.
Both teams defended with obdurate persistence and produced fast-breaking attacks, all of which came to nothing. Finally the Germans fell on their swords in scoring an own goal and Norway went to the final. The women's football competition came to a conclusion on Day 13, with the SFS hosting the women's bronze medal game and then the final. In the bronze play-off Germany faced Brazil, whom they had beaten easily in the preliminary rounds. Once again they were far too powerful and after a scoreless first half, goals by Renate Lingor and Birgit Prinz proved enough. The women's final embodied everything that is marvellous about elite team sport. There was skill aplenty, excitement, pathos, courage and, of course, plenty of luck. In the women's final both groups of supporters added to the colour and passion. Unfortunately for the USA, the Norwegian women had not read the script and did not defer to the champions. The game appeared to be going as the pundits believed it would as the USA controlled the game from the kick-off. They were ahead in the fifth minute, after Hamm gave Tiffeny Milbrett a chance that she took. Norway survived several close calls and only began to challenge when they reverted to a more direct aerial route to goal. Just before half-time, they were rewarded for their persistence when Gro Espeseth scored the equaliser. The roles were reversed in the second half, as Norway took the lead in the 78th minute, again via a header, this time from Ragnhild Gulbrandsen. Champion side that they are, the USA fought back and, after exerting immense pressure, they scored in the second minute of injury time, with a header from Milbrett. The Norwegians dominated the first seven minutes of extra time, playing long balls forward for Solveig Gulbrandsen to head on, and this seemed to unsettle the USA. In the eleventh minute of extra time a long ball went to Dagny Mellgren, who controlled it, evaded two defenders and scored the 'golden' goal of her life. The battlers from Norway had beaten the Atlanta and world champions 3–2 to take their Olympic mantle. The game was played at tremendous pace and in wonderful spirit. It was tough, uncompromising, and a truly Olympic contest.
A women's Olympic Football Tournament was held for the second time as part of the 2000 Summer Olympics. The tournament features 8 women's national teams from six continental confederations. The 8 teams are drawn into two groups of four and each group plays a round-robin tournament. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage, beginning with the semi-finals and culminating with the gold medal match at Sydney Football Stadium on 28 September 2000.
Qualification
The seven best teams at the Women's World Cup in 1999 and the host nation Australia were automatically selected for the Olympic tournament. The following eight teams qualified for the 2000 Olympic women's football tournament:
Africa (CAF)
Nigeria
Asia (AFC)
China PR
North and Central America (CONCACAF)
United States
South America (CONMEBOL)
Brazil
Europe (UEFA)
Germany
Norway
Sweden
Oceania (OFC)
Australia Hosting nation
Knockout stages
Semi-finals
Final
24 September - Sydney
Norway
1
28 September - Sydney
Germany
0
Norway
3
24 September - Canberra
United States
2
United States
1
Brazil
0
Third place
28 September - Sydney
Germany
2
Brazil
0
Final
8:00 p.m.
Norway
3-2 ( ap )
United States
Sydney Football Stadium , Sydney
Gro Espeseth44 th Ragnhild Gulbrandsen78 th Dagny Mellgren102 e
With four goals, Sun Wen of China is the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 42 goals were scored by 28 different players, with only one of them credited as own goal.
Idriss Carlos Kameni (16 years, 209 days) 
Nelson Tapia (33 years, 357 days) 
Cameroon
Norway
Spain
United States
Chile
Germany
China 
Sweden 
Australia 
Nigeria 
