Sydney was selected as the host city for the 2000 games in 1993. It was the second time that the Summer Olympics were held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first one being in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1956.
The United States won the most medals with 93, while Australia came in 4th with 58.
The Games received universal acclaim, with the organization, volunteers, sportsmanship and Australian public being lauded in the international media. Bill Bryson from The Times called the Sydney Games "one of the most successful events on the world stage", saying that they "couldn't be better"
Sydney won the right to host the Games after being selected over Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul and Manchester in four rounds of voting, at the 101st IOC Session in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The Australian city of Melbourne had lost out to Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Olympics four years earlier. Beijing lost its bid to host the games to Sydney in 1993, but was later awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics in July 2001.
Although the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was not scheduled until 15 September, the football competitions began with preliminary matches on 13 September. Among the pre-ceremony fixtures, host nation Australia lost 1-0 to Italy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was the main stadium for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.