The version performed was the recently released Earth Beat mix, which has lyrics altered so to evoke that the island sung about is Australia itself.

[8][9] Near the end of the song, Anu was hoisted on part of the stage, which was folded into a giant 8-sided octagonal figure called The Geode, which had the globe projected on it.

Then, after the flags all entered, athletes ran in from all entrances onto the field, while the fanfare "Olympic Fireworks" by David Stanhope and orchestral piece "Journey of Angels" by Chong Lim played.

Savage Garden performed their hit song "Affirmation" on the Geode stage while wearing indigenous flag t-shirts.

[2] The last time Australia hosted the Olympic Games in 1956, a young man from Melbourne, John Ian Wing, suggested that during the closing ceremony, instead of marching as separate teams, behind their national flags, the athletes mingled together as they paraded into and around the arena for a final appearance before the spectators.

The Millennium Children's Choir performed "Hymn to Liberty",as the National Anthem of Greece, conducted by George Ellis .

In addition, he also gave on behalf of the IOC, the Olympic Cup to the people of Sydney for their enthusiastic and unpartisan support of athletes from all countries.

Samaranch then announced the newly elected members of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission: This segment was conceptualised, crafted, produced and directed by Greek artist Vangelis.

[15] After their performance, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Frank Sartor arrives with the Seoul Olympic flag to begin the ceremony.

He ended his last Games as IOC president by saying thank you, and goodbye in the 4 languages he spoke (English, French, Spanish and Catalan).

Given it was sung in Greek in the Opening Ceremony, the Sydney Olympics was the first time the hymn was performed in both the IOC's preferred languages.

[17] The Ceremony ended with an hour long party and dance mix, featuring well known culture of Australia icons.

[18] This section of the dance mix began with a callback to the beginning of the opening ceremony, where the hero girl (Nikki Webster) took a day off at the beach.

A large number of Surf Life Savers arrive with Kylie Minogue, dressed as a much older hero girl on a thong (Australian slang for a flip-flop) before singing her Intimate and Live Tour cover of the ABBA song "Dancing Queen" on the Geodome stage.

Finally to end off the 2000 Summer Olympics, Slim Dusty with a guitar in hand performed an acoustic version of "Waltzing Matilda" as a singalong with the cast, athletes, and crowd joining in.

After the song, the last words spoken at the 2000 Summer Olympics were: "Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the Closing Ceremony of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad.

Soundtrack: A major political undertone of the Sydney Olympic ceremonies was of reconciliation between Australia and the Australian Indigenous peoples.

[20] In the years leading up to the Olympics, Indigenous reconciliation was becoming a central social and political issue after the release of the Bringing Them Home report.