Where Do London Games Rank in Last 5 Olympics?

The London Games in 2012 were a smashing success, but where do the 2012 Olympics rank compared to the prior four Summer Games? 

That's a question I will do my best to answer. 

This isn't about medal counts or the sporting events, per se. Rather, my focus will be on how the Games impacted the host nation and whether or not there were many negative forces that impacted the Games. 

I'll also be taking into account things like mascots, opening ceremonies and first-time events. 

Please understand that this is in no way, shape or form a comprehensive comparison. Just think of it as more of my take on the overall impression each of the last five Olympics have made.

Enjoy. 

5. 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece

The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens turned out to be a financial disaster for Greece in the long term, and some have questioned whether or not it was the precursor to the financial crisis that now threatens the nation (h/t Huffington Post). 

In fact, many of the venues that were erected for the Games are now in disrepair and aren't even being used, according to the Star. 

That said, the 2004 Olympics didn't fail to provide us with many a riveting sporting event, and the Games themselves were mostly a smashing success. 

Some other highlights include: 

—2004 was the first year that the Olympics was available streaming online (h/t Wired.com).

—2004 was the first year that the Olympic torch was brought to Africa and Latin America (h/t Athensinfoguide.com).

—The shot put event was held at the ancient Olympia—the site of the ancient Olympic Games (h/t Olympic.org).

4. 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia was a mixed bag of ecstatic highs and one sobering low.

First, the highs.

The opening ceremony was filled with scores of music, performed by high-profile celebrities like Celine Dion, Gladys Knight and David Foster. Muhammad Ali famously lit the Olympic torch—a moment that many Americans treasure to this day. 

A record number of nations participated in the 1996 Games—197, to be exact—though that number has since increased. 

1996 was also the first year that the Summer and Winter Games were split up into alternating even-numbered years, as the Winter Games were held in 1992 and 1994 to accomplish this goal (h/t WorldAtlas.com).

And, now to the low moment of the 1996 Games.

Nobody can easily forget the tragedy of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. If not for the courageous and quick-thinking efforts of security guard Richard Jewell, many people would have been killed. As it was, two people did die as a result of the bomb (h/t History.com).

3. 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China

If this were a ranking of opening ceremonies, Beijing takes the cake. The show put on by Zhang Yimou and Zhang Jigang was nothing short of breathtaking. 

2008 was also the first year that amputees were allowed to participate in the regular Olympics, rather than the special Olympics (h/t the Telegraph). 

World records were shattered at an amazing pace, and the competitions were, for the most part, exhilarating. 

That said, China had some other major issues that caused me to drop them down the list. Here are the lowlights from the 2008 Summer Games from Beijing:

—It's hard to forget the overwhelming pollution that plagued the 2008 Games. It was so bad that the Chinese government imposed strict traffic controls to try to minimize the effect (h/t Reuters.com).

—Human rights controversy (h/t Calgary Herald).

—Chinese women's gymnastics team and the controversy surrounding the age of their girls (h/t AFP).

—Todd and Barbara Bachman stabbed while touring the sites, with Todd—father-in-law to U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon—dying as a result (h/t CNN.com).

There were other controversies, too, but I've already demonstrated as much as is needed for the purposes of this post. 

2. 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia

The 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia were a rousing success. 

It was considered to be the safest Olympics in history, and as a result, the New South Wales Police Force was given permission to use the Olympic Rings (you can see an example of one of the citation bars, courtesy of EBay).

Additionally, per Olympics.sporting99.com:

"

The 'Millennium Games' or the 'Games of the New Millennium' generated much interest world wide and the host city Sydney also won the 'Pierre de Coubertin Trophy', in recognition of the collaboration and happiness shown by the people of Sydney during the event.

"

The opening ceremony was brilliant, but aren't they all? One of the highlights for me was the Aboriginal contingency that was a strong part of the presentation. 

There was one thing that didn't sit well with some folks, though. 

The 2000 Summer Games had three official mascots: Syd the Platypus, Millie the Echidna and Olly the Kookaburra. Then, there was the unofficial mascot named Fatso the fat-arsed Wombat that regularly made fun of the other three during a television program by the Australian comedy team, The Dream with Roy and HG (h/t StrategicResources.com.au). 

1. 2012 Summer Games in London, England

Perhaps it's because the memory is still so fresh in my mind, but I can't place any of the past four Olympiads above this one. 

The opening ceremony was gorgeous and thought-provoking. Of course, it never hurts to have Rowan Atkinson playing Mr. Bean as part of the show. 

And don't even get me started on how cool it was to have the Queen and James Bond drop in via parachutes. 

There were also some major upsets on the field of play that made these Games special. Mexico defeated Brazil in the men's football final to win their first gold in that sport, the Bahamas defeated the unbeatable Americans in the men's 4x400-meter relay and Spain's football team didn't even make it out of pool play. 

There were a couple of unfortunate happenings, though. 

First off, what was with the mascots? Tabatha Southey of the Globe and Mail wrote:

"

To be fair to the British, nothing of value has ever come out of an 18-month design process involving 40 focus groups. That's what we're told produced these mascots, although a drunken one-night stand between a Teletubby and a Dalek seems like an equally plausible explanation.

"

Then, there was the Twitter dismissal. Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled for what many considered to be a racist tweet, according to BBC.co.uk. 

Alas, things aren't what they used to be as we enter the digital age.

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