2004 Summer Olympic Games
Athens, Greece
The Summer Games returned to its birthplace for the 25th edition of the modern era. Many thought this was eight years too late, believing that Athens would have been a fitting location for the centenary Olympiad. For the first time over 200 nations (201) participated, but the number of competitors (10625) was fractionally lower than in 2000. China continued its rise, finishing in the top two in the medal table at an Olympic Games for the first time.
Medal Table
| | GLD | SVR | BRZ | TOTAL | |
| 1 | UNITED STATES | 36 | 39 | 26 | 101 |
| 2 | CHINA | 32 | 17 | 14 | 63 |
| 3 | RUSSIA | 28 | 26 | 36 | 90 |
| 4 | AUSTRALIA | 17 | 16 | 17 | 50 |
| 5 | JAPAN | 16 | 9 | 12 | 37 |
| 6 | GERMANY | 13 | 16 | 20 | 49 |
| 7 | FRANCE | 11 | 9 | 13 | 33 |
| 8 | ITALY | 10 | 11 | 11 | 32 |
| 9 | SOUTH KOREA | 9 | 12 | 9 | 30 |
| 10 | GREAT BRITAIN | 9 | 9 | 12 | 30 |
| 11 | CUBA | 9 | 7 | 11 | 27 |
| 12 | HUNGARY | 8 | 6 | 3 | 17 |
| 13 | UKRAINE | 8 | 5 | 9 | 22 |
| 14 | ROMANIA | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 15 | GREECE | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| 16 | BRAZIL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | NORWAY | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 18 | NETHERLANDS | 4 | 9 | 9 | 22 |
| 19 | SWEDEN | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 20 | SPAIN | 3 | 11 | 6 | 20 |
| 21 | CANADA | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 22 | TURKEY | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| 23 | POLAND | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 24 | NEW ZEALAND | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 25 | THAILAND | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 26 | BELARUS | 2 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
| 27 | AUSTRIA | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 28 | ETHIOPIA | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 29= | IRAN | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 29= | SLOVAKIA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 31 | CHINESE TAIPEI | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 32 | GEORGIA | 2 | 2 | - | 4 |
| 33 | BULGARIA | 2 | 1 | 9 | 12 |
| 34 | DENMARK | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 35= | JAMAICA | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 35= | UZBEKISTAN | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 37 | MOROCCO | 2 | 1 | - | 3 |
| 38 | ARGENTINA | 2 | - | 4 | 6 |
| 39 | CHILE | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| 40 | KAZAKHSTAN | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 41 | KENYA | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 42 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 43 | SOUTH AFRICA | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 44 | CROATIA | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 45 | LITHUANIA | 1 | 2 | - | 3 |
| 46= | EGYPT | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 46= | SWITZERLAND | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 48 | INDONESIA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 49 | ZIMBABWE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 50 | AZERBAIJAN | 1 | - | 4 | 5 |
| 51 | BELGIUM | 1 | - | 2 | 3 |
| 52= | BAHAMAS | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
| 52= | ISRAEL | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
| 54= | CAMEROON | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| 54= | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| 54= | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| 57 | NORTH KOREA | - | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 58 | LATVIA | - | 4 | - | 4 |
| 59 | MEXICO | - | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 60 | PORTUGAL | - | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 61= | FINLAND | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| 61= | SERBIA & MONTENEGRO | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| 63 | SLOVENIA | - | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 64 | ESTONIA | - | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 65= | HONG KONG | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 65= | INDIA | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 65= | PARAGUAY | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 68= | COLOMBIA | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| 68= | NIGERIA | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| 68= | VENEZUELA | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| 71= | ERITREA | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 71= | MONGOLIA | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 71= | SYRIA | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 71= | TRINIDAD & TOBAGO | - | - | 1 | 1 |
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