After the Parade of Nations had concluded and the athletes were gathered in the center of the stadium , two short speeches were delivered in front of a model of an olive tree , a traditional Greek and Olympic symbol . Before the speeches were given , there was a segment honoring all previous Olympiads . A runner George Sabanis ( who later started a career as a pop star in Greece ) , carrying a flag with an image of an olive branch symbolizing not only peace , but Athens itself , lapped around the stadium , symbolically crossing tape dedicated to the previous 27 Olympiads . The runner even symbolically stumbled and stopped for the 1916 , 1940 , and 1944 Games which were canceled due to world wars . The runner ended his run at the very center of the stadium , where Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and Rogge were under the olive tree , symbolizing the Olympic 's current journey , from Athens to Athens . Similar tributes have happened during the Opening Ceremonies , for example in the last Olympics before that , in Salt Lake City , where banners of the previous 18 Winter Olympics entered Rice-Eccles Stadium at the beginning of the ceremony . This would also be seen in Vancouver during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics and on the Televised version of the Olympic Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony