In September, 2000, the residents of the Harbour City and the people of Australia set the benchmark of how future Olympics would be measured by staging what IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch ultimately described as the best Olympic Games ever. The Opening Ceremony on September 15 began with a lone horseman galloping his mount to the centre of the Olympic Stadium in front of 110,000 spectators. The entire production was a celebration of the Australian continent.