Five cities made the shortlist with their bids to host the 2004 Summer Olympics (formally known as Games of the XXVIII Olympiad), which were awarded to Athens, on September 5, 1997. The other shortlisted cities were Rome, Cape Town, Stockholm and Buenos Aires.

Bidding process

In Chapter 5, Rule 34 of the official rulebook, the bidding process begins when an aspiring city submits a bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by their own National Olympic Committee (NOC). The IOC then presents their pick after a session. From 1999, the process had two phases. The first phase contains a questionnaire that aspiring cities have to answer, surrounding themes like their capabilities, strengths, and more information, which is used to decide the best city. The files are then examined by the IOC Evaluation Commission, with athletes, representatives, the International Paralympic Committee, and more. Commission members then make a four-day inspection visit to the respective cities, helping the committee determine the winning city through a report. The IOC session, which helps furthermore determine the winning city, is placed in a non-bidding city. The election is made by the current IOC members, which all have a single vote. Residents of respective bidding countries couldn't vote until their country is eliminated and another round begins. In case of a tie, another vote is commenced, until a respective country is eliminated. The rest of the countries are then introduced to the next round. After the IOC announces the host city, the delegation of the host city needs to sign an agreement named the "Host City Contract", created by the IOC, which contains the responsibility of the Games organization to the city and the NOC.

Final selection

In the first round of voting, Buenos Aires and Cape Town tied with the lowest number of votes. Round two was therefore a tie-breaker round between the two cities, with Buenos Aires being eliminated. Stockholm was the next city to be eliminated followed by Cape Town. The final round saw Athens receive enough votes to defeat Rome and win the right to host the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Official voting results

Athens was the leader in all rounds of voting, except in Round 2, which was a tie-breaker due to a first round tie between Cape Town and Buenos Aires. Cape Town won that round over Buenos Aires, before losing out in the 4th round.

Bidding cities

Candidate cities

Applicant cities