President Clinton Attends Ceremony for 1996 U.S. Summer Olympic Team

This photograph, taken on July 19, 1996, shows President Bill Clinton and members of the U.S. Olympic team paying homage to the American flag during a ceremony held at the Olympic Village in Atlanta Georgia in advance of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The event was attended by former Olympic champions including Kristi Yamaguchi, Rafer Johnson, Edwin Moses, Mark Spitz, and Pam Shriver. During the event, President Clinton assisted in passing the American flag to freestyle wrestler Bruce Baumgartner, pictured here at right of Clinton. Later that day, Baumgartner carried the flag in front of the American team and President Clinton delivered opening remarks at the Centennial Olympic Stadium. Clinton was the second American president to formally open an Olympic Games, following a precedent established when President Ronald Reagan opened the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984.