Before the Olympics began however it was questioned whether drugs scandals would over shadow these games as they had in Atlanta. The Chinese swimming team was sent home before the beginning of the games after they failed routine drugs tests. During the games themselves the Romanian weightlifting time was sent home because three of their competitors failed drugs tests.

During the past four years British athletes must have decided never to repeat the humiliation of Atlanta in 1996 where we came home with only one gold medal. This did not appear as if it were going to happen again when on the opening day of the games Jason Queally set a new Olympic record and won a gold medal for Britain by beating his own personal best by over 1½ seconds.

                Richard Faulds won Britain’s second gold on Wednesday the 20^th in the Double trap shooting. The event was brought to a shoot off between Faulds and Australian former Olympic gold medallist Russell Mark, winning by only one shot.

                A week after the games began Britain’s Steve Redgrave became the worlds ‘Greatest Olympian’ after winning a fifth gold medal in the men’s coxless fours. Redgrave's fellow rowers included Tim Foster, James Cracknell and Olympic gold medallist for the third time, Mathew Pincent. Struggled to an unconvincing win over the Italians, Steve Redgrave said that he ‘knew that they had won by 250m.This was the first of Britains 5 gold medals on the water. The men's coxed eights won more convincingly than the coxless fours giving Britain its first gold medal in this event since winning in Stockholm in 1912.

                A day later Denise Lewis won the first gold medal in the track and fields events by winning the Heptathlon by 53 points. Her final event was the 800m she achieved a good enough result to win the gold medal by keeping the gap between her and the winner to only six seconds.

                Another of Britains track and field event winners was Jonathon Edwards the world record holder who won the triple jump by leaping 17.71m despite finishing only forth in the heats.

                Britains sailing team won three gold medals, two of which were on the 29^th of September. Shirley Robertson won the Europe class by four more points than her closest rival. Ben Ainsle won gold in the laser class despite colliding with the silver medallist. After an appeal which called in to question his victory the judges finally ruled in his favour at the end of the day. Britains final gold on the water came on the Saturday before the games closed courtesy of Iain Perry in the Finn Class who won the gold medal with a race to go because his only real rival failed to finish in the top 5 of the penultimate race.

                Audley Harrison won the Super Heavyweight title by beating a Kazakhstan fighter in the final, despite having a hand injury. This gave the first gold since 1968.

                Stephanie Cook won the first modern Pentathlon for women in the 27^th Olympics. Stephanie Cook is a doctor and cannot be accused of not practising what she preaches about the bonuses of exercise, in Sydney in this near final event Britain was able to receive a bronze medal due to Kate Allen.

                The olympics closed with even more of a bang than they opened the fireworks display was bigger and better than even the welcome of the Millennium at the beginning of the year. The Olympic president announced that the Games were the greatest of his long presidency. Once the games had ended the Olympic torch began its long 17,000 mile journey around the world to make it to Greece in 2004 for the 28^th olympics, hopefully Britain will do equally as well, if not better with the new wave of Lottery money going to sport.