ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay & St. Louis' Olympic Centennial Celebration

St. Louis Marked 100th Anniversary of Olympic Games with Celebration in Forest Park

Click on any thumbnail above to begin slide show. Photos by Dave Preston

June 17, 2004 - St. Louis Region and Forest Park

Thirty-five cities hosted the Olympic Torch on its trip around the globe. But only one, St. Louis, had the opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Olympic Games as the torch passed through. On June 17, St. Louis was the 12th of 35 cities worldwide, and one of only four American cities, to host the first-ever global Olympic Torch Relay.

The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay began in St. Louis at 1 p.m. at the base of the steps of the Gateway Arch. The Olympic flame traveled 34 miles throughout the region and was carried by 132 unique individuals. T orchbearers were selected through a nomination process orchestrated by the Athens Organizing Committee for the 2004 Olympic Games and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Nominations were evaluated by a local judging panel. Selected individuals reflected the values of the Olympic Games.

At the end of the Torch Relay, St. Louis marked the 100th anniversary of the 1904 Olympic Games and the end of the Olympic Torch Relay with a Centennial Celebration on Art Hill in Forest Park.

More than 10,000 people attended the free event. The Celebration began at 7:30 p.m. and featured appearances by U.S. Olympians, music by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a look back at the 1904 Olympic Games, and an incredible fireworks display.

Athletes at the Centennial Celebration included: Jackie Joyner-Kersee , one of the world's greatest athletes; Shannon Miller , a seven-time Olympic medalist in gymnastics; Bonnie Blair , a five-time Olympic gold medalist in speed skating; Sammie Henson , a graduate of Francis Howell High School who won the silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Olympics; Wendy Williams , a native of Bridgeton, Mo., who won the bronze medal in diving at the 1988 Olympics; Craig Virgin , a three-time Olympian in track and field from Lebanon, Ill.; and Connie Teaberry, a 1996 Olympian from Florissant, Mo. In all, more than 30 Olympians attended the celebration. KSDK-TV anchor Mike Bush emceed the event, which was televised live by the NBC affiliate.

Just before 9 p.m., Joyner-Kersee, who was the final torchbearer, received the flame and then made a triumphant run down to the base of Art Hill. Joyner-Kersee, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and East St. Louis native, lit the cauldron to signify the end of the Torch Relay. As the Olympians on stage gathered around the cauldron and the Symphony played, fireworks went off high above the stage for an electrifying ending to the evening in Forest Park.

The Sports Commission chaired the relay's local task force and took the lead role in organizing and producing the end-of-day Olympic Centennial Celebration on Art Hill in Forest Park. The international organizers of the global relay told St. Louis officials, including Mayor Francis Slay, that St. Louis was one of the best cities to work with on the route. They added that although St. Louis' celebration wasn't the largest or grandest of the ones staged around the world, it was one of the best produced. The feedback represented tremendous praise for the community and the Sports Commission. The organization has taken great pride in carrying the torch commemorating the 100th anniversary of St. Louis' Olympic Games.

Planning for the Olympic Torch Relay in St. Louis was conducted by a local task force that included representatives from the City of St. Louis, Coca-Cola Central States, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, Missouri Highway Patrol, St. Louis 2004, St. Louis County, the St. Louis Greek-American Community, the St. Louis Sports Commission, and Washington University, and the St. Louis County municipalities on the route.

“There is a great amount of appreciation for the time and cooperation provided by the members of the local task force, especially those who represented the municipalities and police departments on the route,” said Marc Schreiber, director of marketing and communications for the Sports Commission. “They were instrumental in making the event run so well.”

The relay and Celebration were part of Celebrate 2004 – the region's yearlong civic celebration commemorating the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition, and the centennial of the World's Fair and Third Olympiad in St. Louis. In 1904, St. Louis became the first city to host the Olympics in the Western Hemisphere. Forest Park and Washington University served as the venues for most of the events. Since then, only two other American cities – Los Angeles and Atlanta – have hosted the Summer Games.