Sanford Stadium - 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The stadium played host to the Olympic medal competition of men's and women's Olympic football (soccer) at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Because the required dimensions of a soccer field are wider than those of an American football field, the hedges surrounding the field needed to be removed. This proved to be a controversial measure, as it had not been general public knowledge that the hedges would have to be removed to accommodate the Olympic football competition. In preparation for this necessity, cuttings were taken from the original hedges, 3 years prior to the Olympics, and cultivated at a secret, off-campus site. It was later discovered that this 'secret site' was 70 miles away at R.A. Dudley Nurseries in Thomson, Georgia. During the Olympics, Nigeria and the United States would win the men's and women's football gold medals, respectively, at the hedge-less stadium. Once the Olympics were over, the newly-grown hedges were transplanted from Dudley Nursery to the stadium. Sanford Stadium told the United States Soccer Federation it would not be interested in holding a possible World Cup match if the US gets the nod.