It's Atlanta!: How the AJC announced the 1996 Olympic Games.

As dreams go, this one seemed preposterous.

But 30 years ago today, Sept. 18, 1990, in an enormous, ornate ballroom in Tokyo, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch made a simple announcement:

“The International Olympic Committee has awarded the 1996 Olympic Games to the city of … Atlanta."

In what has been described as one of closest competitions ever, the IOC took five rounds of votes to reach a decision.

Atlanta trailed Athens on the first ballot, 23-19. Belgrade was knocked out, then Manchester, then Melbourne. When Toronto, which held 22 votes, was eliminated in the fourth round, Atlanta soared to 51 votes.

As one key player in the effort told reporters afterward: “In a world seemingly more uncertain and unpredictable every day, there will be no uncertainty about the Atlanta Games.”

ExploreClick here to read The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's coverage from that fateful day, including then-reactions from notables such as Andrew Young

ExploreClick here to read a column from AJC Managing Editor Bert Roughton Jr., reflecting on how "nothing since has been the same"

More of the AJC’s in-depth coverage of Atlanta’s plans for international event

‘The only thing that changes is how we deliver it’

As the AJC nears the end of its print chapter, some of the reporters, editors and photographers who make the AJC reflect on their “big break" moments.

Georgia sees one of the highest rises in life expectancy in the nation

Georgia's life expectancy rose more sharply than most U.S. states as the coronavirus pandemic receded, according to the latest CDC data, but still has ground to make up.

The Latest