Javier Sotomayor of Cuba was the eighth man to win a second medal in the event (and first to do so in non-consecutive Games, earning his first in 1992); he joined Valeriy Brumel and Jacek Wszoła as the most successful Olympic high jumpers in history with a gold and a silver—despite missing the 1984 and 1988 Games due to boycott and being hampered by injury in 1996.

Sotomayor, healthy again after being limited in 1992 due to an ankle injury, had been suspended after testing positive for cocaine but was reinstated before the Games.

[2] Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, New Zealand, and Russia each made their debut in the event.

The United States made its 23rd appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had jumped 2.28 metres or higher during the qualification period.

Qualification: 2.30 m (Q) or best 12 performances (q)[5] [6] Source: Official Report of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics available at https://web.archive.org/web/20080522105330/http://www.la84foundation.org/5va/reports_frmst.htm