ATLANTA — Almost exactly 30 years after Atlanta was thrust onto the world’s stage during the 1996 Olympic Games, the city is once again playing international host with the FIFA World Cup.
Channel 2’s Karyn Greer sat down with Billy Payne, one of the people who helped bring the Olympics to Atlanta, to discuss how his work led the city to where it is today.
He says people already knew Atlanta existed because of the Civil Rights Movement, but had no idea about the Southern charm and its ability to play host.
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“If you objectively assess the odds of us winning when we first began, it was zero, just wasn’t any way that an American city was going to come out of the blue and win the Centennial Olympic Games," Payne recalled.
He says the Olympics did more than transform downtown Atlanta, it helped establish the city as a credible international host city.
“I think as we introduced ourselves to the rest of the world, we showed them a part of the United States that they really didn’t know existed because there’s been really no international exposure of any of our southern cities,” he said.
He says the city’s world-class infrastructure from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and it’s track record from the Olympics, it’s a prime candidate for a host city.
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“We introduced to this very sophisticated group of 90 people from all over the world, from 80 countries, from everywhere, we introduce a part of the America, the United States that they did not know existed,” Payne said.
Now, international visitors are back in Atlanta for the FIFA World Cup, which Payne says has taught him plenty about soccer for the first time.
“My grandchildren, they’re all into it. They’re just completely engulfed in soccer. But I don’t know a lot about it, but I have surprised myself that this previous week I haven’t left the television watching the games,” he said.
July 19 marks the historic anniversary of when the Centennial Olympic Games opened in Atlanta.
The city will celebrate the milestone with festivities and exhibits honoring the legacy of the Olympics.
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