The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries. There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports. Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. It was also the first time since 1896 (other than the since-downgraded 1906 Intercalated Games) that the Olympics were held in Greece.

A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games. This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue. The new design features the Panathinaiko Stadium.

Athens Olympics may refer to:

Ryu Seung-Min (born August 5, 1982 in Seoul, South Korea) is a Korean table tennis player who won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the men's singles competition. His opponent was Wang Hao, a top-seeded player from Chinese national team. Along the way, he defeated 1992 Olympic champion Jan-Ove Waldner with 4-1. Ryu is ranked thirteenth in the world as of May 2011.

Ryu Seung-Min plays penhold style. Unlike players like Ma Lin and Wang Hao, Ryu does not use the backside of his blade. Ryu relies on his outstanding footwork, explosive forehand loops and drives to win points. He also currently uses Xiom table tennis paddles and rubbers. He uses his signature model "Ryu Seung Min Special" penhold and has been using ProZRSM ever since his victory at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

As of January 7, 2011, Ryu Seung Min is part of the Butterfly Team, and is ranked 15th in the world.

Singles (as of January 17, 2011)

Men's Doubles

Mixed Doubles

Team

Taufik Hidayat (born August 10, 1981 in Bandung, West Java) is an Indonesian badminton player. He is a former World and Olympic champion in men's singles. He has also won the Indonesian Open six times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006).

When he was young, he joined the SGS Club, a badminton club in Bandung, where he trained under Iie Sumirat.

Hidayat won the men's singles competition in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In August 2005, he won the men's singles competition at the IBF World Championships. He also won the gold medal at the Asian Games twice, at Busan in 2002 and Doha in 2006.

Popular media has at times focused on the perceived rivalry between Hidayat and Chinese player Lin Dan, referring to the two as "arch rivals".

Hidayat's main qualities are his backhand (as he is perhaps most famous for his backhand smash, revered for its unusually high generation of power), forehand jump smash, drop shot (reverse slice in particular), smooth footwork and deceiving net play. Hidayat's forehand jump smash in the 2006 world championships is currently the fastest smash recorded in single's competition: he recorded a 305 km/h in a match against Ng Wei.

Shon Seung-mo (born July 1, 1980 in Milyang, Gyeongsangnam-do) is a male badminton player from South Korea.

Shon played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men' singles, defeating Antti Viitikko of Finland and Richard Vaughan of Great Britain in the first two rounds. In the quarterfinals, Shon defeated Chen Hong of People's Republic of China 10-15, 15-4, 15-10. Shon advanced to the semifinals, in which he beat Soni Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia 15-6, 9-15, 15-9. Playing in the gold medal match, he lost to Indonesian Taufik Hidayat by a score of 15-8, 15-7 to finish with the silver medal.

Shon is partially blind, after being hit in the eye by a shuttlecock in his youth.

Includes results against athletes who competed in Super Series finals, World Championships semifinals, and Olympic quarterfinals.