Exhibit highlights stories of the 1996 Summer Olympics

ATLANTA - All eyes are on Paris right now, as the City of Light hosts the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. But 28 years ago, it was Atlanta’s turn in the global spotlight — and an Atlanta History Center exhibit takes a close look at the lasting impact of the 1996 games.

"Atlanta ’96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City" opened back in 2020 at Atlanta History Center, expanding on a previous exhibit by incorporating an enormous collection of artifacts and the stories of how the massive event changed the city and continues to shape it today. 

Among those artifacts are participation medals (which are given to every athlete) from every modern summer Olympic Games and torches from every summer Olympic Games except 1952. Many of the artifacts included in the exhibit come directly from the Georgia Amateur Athletic Foundation, which was the nonprofit behind the planning and execution of the Atlanta event. 

Curators say in creating the 2020 version of the exhibit, they also wanted to increase attention on the 1996 Paralympic Games, which speaks to a broader story of inclusion and disability sports. 

"Atlanta ’96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City" is included with admission to Atlanta History Center, which is $27 for adults and $24 for youth ages 4 to 12. Atlanta History Center is located at 130 West Paces Ferry Road Northwest in Buckhead, and the hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays through Sundays.