Sydney games will offer record gold haul ?
4 June 1998Individual and team gold medals will be awarded in a record 296 events at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, games organisers said on Thursday.
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said 28 different sports had been included on the programme and the total of medal events was 25 higher than at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
"This is the result of the introduction of new sports and disciplines which include women, and the introduction of women's events in sports such as modern pentathlon, water polo and weightlifting," Coates said.
The opening ceremony for the Sydney Games will be on Friday September 15 with the closing ceremony scheduled for Sunday October 1.
The president of the Sydney organising committee, Michael Knight, said a minimum of 11 different sports would be contested on each of the 16 days of competition, with a peak of 25 on the second and fourth days.
At least 21 sports would be contested on the opening day of competition, Saturday September 16, although soccer preliminaries would start two days before the opening ceremony.
