Editing 1992 Summer Olympics (section)

== Highlights ==
{{See also|1992 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|1992 Summer Olympics closing ceremony}}
[[File:Barcelona AUGUST 1992 the Olympic Games (Juegos Olímpicos de Barcelona 1992) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The [[Olympic cauldron]] lit during the Games in [[Montjuïc]]]]
[[File:Dream Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics.JPEG|right|thumb|[[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]] shoots a free throw to help secure the gold medal for the [[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|United States "Dream Team".]]]]
* At the innovative opening ceremony, Greek mezzo-soprano [[Agnes Baltsa]] sang "Romiossini" as the Olympic flag was paraded around the stadium. [[Alfredo Kraus]] later sang the [[Olympic Hymn]] in Catalan, Spanish and French, as the flag was hoisted.
* The Olympic cauldron was ignited using a flaming arrow, lit from the flame of the [[Olympic flame|Olympic torch]]. It was shot by [[Paralympic]] archer [[Antonio Rebollo]], who aimed the arrow over the top of the cauldron to ignite the gas emanating from it. The arrow landed outside the stadium.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1992/07/27/pagina-36/33525453/pdf.html |title=Ciudad Olímpica: La parábola del suspiro |trans-title=Olympic City: The parable of the sigh |newspaper=[[La Vanguardia]] |date=27 July 1992 |page=36 |language=es}}</ref> This unusual method for lighting the cauldron had been carefully designed to avoid any chance of the arrow landing in the stadium if Rebollo missed his target.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/926190.stm | work=[[BBC News]] | title=Ceremonial hall of shame | date=15 September 2000 | access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/35738/rec/59 |title=Official Report of the Games of the XXV Olympiad, Barcelona 1992, v.4 |date=1992 |publisher=[[LA84 Foundation]] |isbn=84-7868-097-7 |page=72 |quote=The arrow described an arc and lit the gas issuing from the cauldron; the flame soared up to a height of three metres.}}</ref>
* South Africa rejoined the Summer Olympics having been banned for its [[apartheid]] policy after the [[1960 Summer Olympics]]. The [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres|women's 10,000 metres]] event was hotly contested. White South African runner [[Elana Meyer]] and black [[Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics|Ethiopia]]n runner [[Derartu Tulu]] (winner) ran hand-in-hand in a victory lap.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1992 |title=Barcelona 1992: Did you know? |publisher=[[IOC]] |date=2002 |archive-date=4 April 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020404134346/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1992}}</ref>
* Germany sent a unified team having [[German reunification|reunified]] in 1990, the last such team was at the [[1964 Summer Olympics]].
* As the [[Soviet Union]] was [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|dissolved in 1991]], the formerly [[Occupation of the Baltic states|Soviet-occupied]] states of [[Estonia at the Summer Olympics|Estonia]] and [[Latvia at the Summer Olympics|Latvia]] sent their own teams for the first time since 1936, while [[Lithuania at the Summer Olympics|Lithuania]] sent its own team for the first time since 1928. The other former Soviet republics decided to compete together and formed the [[Unified Team at the Olympics|Unified Team]], which consisted of present-day [[Armenia at the Summer Olympics|Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan at the Summer Olympics|Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus at the Summer Olympics|Belarus]], [[Georgia at the Summer Olympics|Georgia]], [[Kazakhstan at the Summer Olympics|Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan at the Summer Olympics|Kyrgyzstan]], [[Moldova at the Summer Olympics|Moldova]], [[Russia at the Summer Olympics|Russia]], [[Tajikistan at the Summer Olympics|Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan at the Summer Olympics|Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine at the Summer Olympics|Ukraine]], and [[Uzbekistan at the Summer Olympics|Uzbekistan]]. The Unified Team finished first in the medal standings, edging the [[United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics|United States]].
* The [[Breakup of Yugoslavia|separation]] of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] led to the Olympic debuts of [[Croatia at the Summer Olympics|Croatia]], [[Slovenia at the Summer Olympics|Slovenia]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Summer Olympics|Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. Due to [[United Nations]] sanctions, athletes from the [[Serbia and Montenegro at the Summer Olympics|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (consisting of present-day [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]]) were not allowed to participate with their own team. However, some individual athletes competed under the Olympic flag as [[Independent Olympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Independent Olympic Participants]]. Serbia would return to the Olympics at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] and as well as Montenegro on what would be its Olympic debut as separate states.
* In [[basketball]], the admittance of NBA players led to the formation of the "[[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|Dream Team]]" of the United States, featuring [[Michael Jordan]], [[Magic Johnson]], [[Larry Bird]] and other [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] stars. Prior to 1992, only European and South American professionals were allowed to compete, while the Americans used college players. The Dream Team won the gold medal and was inducted as a unit into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers: 1992 United States Olympic Team |url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/1992-united-states-olympic-team |website=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |access-date=15 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818075707/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/1992-united-states-olympic-team |archive-date=18 August 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Fermín Cacho]] won the [[1500 metres|1,500 m]] in his home country, earning Spain's first-ever Olympic gold medal in a running event.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olympic.org/fermin-cacho-ruiz |title=Fermin Cacho Ruiz |website=Olympic.org |access-date=25 August 2013}}</ref>
* [[China at the Summer Olympics|Chinese]] [[Diving (sport)|diver]] [[Fu Mingxia]], age 13, became one of the youngest Olympic gold medalists of all time.
* In men's [[artistic gymnastics]], [[Vitaly Scherbo]] from [[Belarus at the Summer Olympics|Belarus]], (representing the [[Unified Team at the Olympics|Unified Team]]), won six gold medals, including four in a single day. Scherbo tied [[Eric Heiden]]'s record for individual gold medals at a single Olympics, winning five medals in an individual event ([[Michael Phelps]] would later equal this record in [[Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]).
* In women's artistic gymnastics, [[Tatiana Gutsu]] took gold in the All-Around competition edging the USA's [[Shannon Miller]].
* Russian swimmers (competing for the Unified Team) dominated the men's freestyle events, with [[Alexander Popov (swimmer)|Alexander Popov]] and [[Yevgeny Sadovyi]] each winning two events. Sadovyi also won in the relays.
* [[Evelyn Ashford]] won her fourth Olympic gold medal in the 4×100-metre relay, making her one of only four female athletes to have achieved this in history.
* The young [[Krisztina Egerszegi]] of [[Hungary at the Summer Olympics|Hungary]] won three individual swimming gold medals.
* In women's 200 m [[breaststroke]], [[Kyoko Iwasaki]] of [[Japan at the Summer Olympics|Japan]] won a gold medal at the age of 14 years and six days, making her the youngest-ever gold medalist in swimming competitions at the Olympics.
* [[Algeria]]n athlete [[Hassiba Boulmerka]], who was frequently criticized by Muslim groups in Algeria who thought she showed too much of her body when racing, received [[death threat]]s<ref name=BBC>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16962799 |title=Hassiba Boulmerka: Defying death threats to win gold |date=11 February 2012 |first=Chloe |last=Arnold |work=[[BBC News]] |location=Algiers}}</ref> and was forced to move to Europe to train, won the [[1500 metres|1,500 metres]], also holding the [[African records in athletics|African women's record]] in this distance.
* After being demonstrated in six previous Summer Olympic Games, [[baseball]] officially became an Olympic sport. [[Badminton]] and women's [[judo]] also became part of the Olympic program, while [[slalom canoeing]] returned to the Games after a 20-year absence.
* [[Roller hockey (Quad)|Roller hockey]], [[Basque pelota]], and [[taekwondo]] were all demonstrated at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
* Several of the USA men's volleyball gold medal team from the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]] returned to vie for another medal. In the preliminary round, they lost a controversial match to Japan, sparking them to shave their heads in protest. This notably included player [[Steve Timmons]], sacrificing his trademark red [[flattop]] for the protest. The U.S. team ultimately progressed to the playoffs and won bronze.
* [[Mike Stulce]] of the United States won the men's [[shot put]], beating the heavily favored [[Werner Günthör]] of Switzerland.
* On the 20th anniversary of the [[Munich massacre]] and the 500th anniversary of the [[Alhambra Decree]], [[Yael Arad]] became the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal, winning a silver medal in judo. The next day, [[Oren Smadja]] became Israel's first male medalist, winning a bronze in the same sport.
* [[Derek Redmond]] of Great Britain tore a hamstring during a 400-meter semi-final heat. As he struggled to finish the race, his father entered the track without credentials and helped him complete the race, to a [[standing ovation]] from the crowd.
* [[Gail Devers]] came into the 100 meters hurdles as the favorite. Though her Olympic history shows her winning the 100 meters dash twice, the first time earlier in this Olympics, she primarily made her career as a hurdler. And true to form, Devers had a commanding lead in this race until the final hurdle. Devers came up short and hit the hurdle, foot first, hard, knocking her off balance. She stumbled toward the finish line, falling on the last step, but still finished fifth, .001 out of fourth place. [[Paraskevi Patoulidou]] of Greece won the gold medal to even her own disbelief, dropping to her knees on the track when she realized she had won.
* [[Jennifer Capriati]] won the singles tennis competition at the age of 16. She had previously earned a spot in the semifinals of two grand slams at the age of 14.
* Two gold medals were awarded in solo synchronized swimming after a judge inadvertently entered the score of "8.7" instead of the intended "9.7" in the computerized scoring system for one of [[Sylvie Fréchette]]'s figures. This error ultimately placed Fréchette second, leaving [[Kristen Babb-Sprague]] for the gold medal. Following an appeal, [[FINA]] awarded Fréchette a gold medal, replacing her silver medal and leaving the two swimmers both with gold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/events/1996/olympics/daily/july30/frec.html |title=On the Bright Side |publisher=[[CNN/SI]] |first=Michael |last=Farber |date=30 July 1996 |archive-date=16 September 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000916002627/https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/events/1996/olympics/daily/july30/frec.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Indonesia won its first-ever gold medal after winning a silver at [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]]. [[Susi Susanti]] won the gold in [[badminton]] women's singles after defeating [[Bang Soo-hyun]] in the final round. [[Alan Budikusuma]] won the badminton men's singles competition, earning a second gold medal for Indonesia. Several years later, both players married and they received the nickname golden couple or Olympic couple.

===Records===
{{main|World and Olympic records set at the 1992 Summer Olympics}}