ATLANTA 1996
- 19 July – 4 August 1996
- 271 official medal events.
- 10,324 competitors from 197 countries.
- Finnish team: 78 athletes (76 participated in official events).
For Finland, the Centennial Games of the Olympic Movement did not go quite according to plans. Especially from Finnish swimmers more was expected than Jani Sievinen’s silver medal in his best event, the 200-metre medley. The only gold medal was won by Heli Rantanen, who clinched victory in the women’s javelin final on her first throw, thus becoming the first Finnish female Olympic champion in track and field athletics. In the men’s javelin event Seppo Räty won his third consecutive Olympic medal, this time bronze. The most surprising Finnish medallist in Atlanta was the wrestler Marko Asell, who was a late substitute entrant at the Games. Medal hopes had been entertained in shooting and race walking, but they were not fulfilled.
Medal Standings
| G | S | B | Total | ||
| 1 | USA | 44 | 32 | 25 | 101 |
| 2 | Russia | 26 | 21 | 16 | 63 |
| 3 | Germany | 20 | 18 | 27 | 65 |
| 4 | China | 16 | 22 | 12 | 50 |
| 5 | France | 15 | 7 | 15 | 37 |
| 6 | Italy | 13 | 10 | 12 | 35 |
| 7 | Australia | 9 | 9 | 23 | 41 |
| 8 | Cuba | 9 | 8 | 8 | 25 |
| 9 | Ukraine | 9 | 2 | 12 | 23 |
| 10 | South Korea | 7 | 15 | 5 | 27 |
| 11 | Poland | 7 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| 12 | Hungary | 7 | 4 | 10 | 21 |
| 13 | Spain | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
| 14 | Romania | 4 | 7 | 9 | 20 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 |
| 16 | Greece | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 17 | Czech Republic | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 19 | Turkey | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Denmark | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 21 | Canada | 3 | 11 | 8 | 22 |
| 22 | Bulgaria | 3 | 7 | 5 | 15 |
| 23 | Japan | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 24 | Kazakhstan | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 25 | Brazil | 3 | 3 | 9 | 15 |
| 26 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 27 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 28 | Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 29 | Sweden | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 30 | Norway | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 31 | Belgium | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 32 | Nigeria | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 33 | North Korea | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 34 | Ethiopia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Algeria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 36 | Great Britain | 1 | 8 | 6 | 15 |
| 37 | Belarus | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 |
| 38 | Kenya | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 39 | Jamaica | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 40 | Finland | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 41 | Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 43 | Iran | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 45 | Armenia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 47 | Thailand | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Portugal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 49 | Burundi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Syria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 | Argentina | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 55 | Namibia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 57 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 58 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Moldova | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Malaysia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 61 | Zambia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bahamas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Azerbaidzhan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Philippines | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tonga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Latvia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Chinese Taipei | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 68 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Georgia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 71 | Uganda | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mexico | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mozambique | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mongolia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Israel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| India | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
