12 September 2025 – When Sydney staged the Olympic Games in 2000, it gave Australians a fresh vision of their biggest city, which was transformed, and of their nation united. As we celebrate the opening of those Games on 15 September, 25 years later, the Sydney 2000 legacy lives on in venues that continue to host world events, green spaces that enrich daily life, and traditions that span generations – foundations now guiding Australia as it prepares for Brisbane 2032.
“Sydney 2000 gave Australians a sense of unity that went far beyond sport,” said Arram Kim, IOC Head of Olympic Games Impact and Legacy. “It was a moment when the country came together and shared something that is still remembered with pride.”
Cathy Freeman winning the 400m gold medal in front of a full stadium remains Sydney 2000’s defining image. As that of a proud Indigenous Australian athlete, Freeman’s victory went beyond athletics. It spoke to national unity at a pivotal moment in Australia’s story. Alongside her triumph came other indelible memories: a teenage Ian Thorpe powering to multiple gold medals in the pool, and Michael Johnson sealing his Olympic career with a masterful defence of his 400m title. Together, these performances made Sydney 2000 unforgettable.
Sydney’s approach outside sport proved just as enduring. The Olympic Park turned once-polluted land at Homebush Bay into a district of wetlands, homes and parklands, where thousands gather daily for sport, school and leisure.
Its venues have adapted with time: continues to host football, rugby, cricket and concerts, while the Aquatic and Athletics Centres balance international competition with community use. At Penrith, the Regatta Centre and Whitewater Stadium, built for canoeing and rowing in 2000, remain fixtures on the global calendar, supported by a fresh round of government investment that will see them stage the 2025 Canoe Slalom World Championships.
Some of the Games’ legacies have grown into new traditions. The Sydney Marathon, first run as a test event for 2000, now ranks among the world’s elite distance races as part of the World Marathon Majors. Each year, tens of thousands trace a route through the city, evidence that inspiration from the Games continues to find expression in mass participation.
Youth at the heart
The 25th anniversary is being marked through school and community activations in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. The Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch is retracing parts of the original relay route as a way to bring the Games’ stories to a new generation.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC)’s Olympics Unleashed Roadshow will arrive in Sydney on Monday 15 September. Having travelled to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Lismore, Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Taree, it will celebrate a momentous chapter in Australian sporting history and also look ahead to Brisbane 2032 – inspiring students to dream big, both on and off the sporting field.
Some 280 four-to-six-year-old pupils will be joined by Sydney 2000 Olympic champions Kerri Pottharst, Ian Thorpe and Melinda Gainsford Taylor, father and son medallists Jackson and Dan Collins, gold medallist Chloe Dalton and NSW Institute of Sport aspiring athlete Tayla Martin.
This focus on young Australians echoes the spirit of Sydney 2000 itself, when education programmes linked to both the Olympic and Paralympic Games reached hundreds of thousands of students across the country. Resources, school visits and initiatives like the Paralympic Set No Limits programme helped embed the values of sport, inclusion and participation among children and young people.
Looking ahead to Brisbane 2032
This year’s anniversary events continue that legacy, using storytelling and direct contact with Olympians to inspire the next generation in classrooms and communities.
And as Brisbane prepares for 2032, the lessons of Sydney 2000 are close at hand.
Brisbane 2032’s Elevate 2042 strategy sets out a 20-year vision for benefits that will last long after the flame is extinguished. The Games On! programme launched by the Queensland government aims to enhance community sports clubs across the state as part of the 2032 Delivery Plan, providing an additional AUD 250 million for grassroots sports clubs.
“A strong foundation can carry communities for generations,” said Kim. “Sydney 2000 showed how venues could be embedded in everyday urban life, how transport and environmental planning could leave a permanent mark, and how the inspiration of the Games could endure through new traditions. Brisbane will add its own chapter, building on what is already there and shaping it for the future.”
