1996 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
During the Parade of Nations portion of the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from each country participating in the Olympics paraded in the arena, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Olympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country.
Parade order
As the nation of the first modern Olympic Games, Greece entered the stadium first; whereas, the host nation of the United States marched last. Other countries entered in alphabetical order in the language of the host country, according with tradition and IOC guidelines.Whilst most countries entered under their short names, a few entered under more formal or alternative names, mostly due to political and naming disputes. Macedonia entered as "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'" because of the naming dispute with Greece. The Republic of China entered with the compromised name and flag of "Chinese Taipei" under T so that they did not enter together with conflicting People's Republic of China, which entered as the "People's Republic of China" under C. The Republic of the Congo entered as just "Congo" while the Democratic Republic of Congo entered under its former name, Zaire. Iran, Moldova, Laos, Brunei and the United States all entered under their formal names, respectively "Islamic Republic of Iran", "Republic of Moldova", "Lao People's Democratic Republic", "Brunei Darussalam" and "United States of America".
A record of 197 nations entered the stadium with a combined total of 10,318 athletes. Twenty-three nations made their Olympic debut, including ten of the former Soviet republics, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, that had previously competed as part of the Unified Team in 1992 and Soviet Union before that. Russia competed independently for the first time since 1912. Czech Republic and Slovakia attended the Games independently for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, whereas Cambodia returned officially after its 24-year absence under the Khmer Republic.
Notable flag bearers in the opening ceremony featured the following athletes: weightlifter Pyrros Dimas ; eventing rider Andrew Hoy ; nine-time Olympian and Star sailor Hubert Raudaschl ; 1984 Olympic middle-distance champion Joaquim Cruz in the 800 metres; track sprinters Charmaine Crooks and Marie-José Pérec ; defending Olympic long-distance champions Derartu Tulu and Khalid Skah, both in the 10,000 metres; fencers Arnd Schmitt, Bence Szabó, and Giovanna Trillini ; rowing legend Steve Redgrave ; swimmers Raimundas Mažuolis in sprint freestyle and Rafał Szukała in the butterfly; windsurfer Barbara Kendall ; hurdler and world champion Brigita Bukovec ; defending Olympic champions Jan-Ove Waldner in men's table tennis singles, and Andrey Abduvaliyev in the hammer throw; pole vaulter and world record holder Sergey Bubka ; and super heavyweight wrestlers Alexander Karelin in Greco-Roman, and Bruce Baumgartner in freestyle.
List
The following is a list of each country's announced flag bearer. The list is sorted by the order in which each nation appears in the parade of nations. The names are given in their official designations by the IOC.| Order | Country | Flag bearer | Sport |
| 1 | Pyrros Dimas | Weightlifting | |
| 2 | Muhamed Aman | Boxing | |
| 3 | Mirela Manjani | Athletics | |
| 4 | Karim El-Mahouab | Handball | |
| 5 | Maselino Masoe | Boxing | |
| 6 | Aitor Osorio | Swimming | |
| 7 | Palmira de Almeida | Handball | |
| 8 | Heather Samuel | Athletics | |
| 9 | Carolina Mariani | Judo | |
| 10 | Aghvan Grigoryan | Weightlifting | |
| 11 | Isnardo Faro | Weightlifting | |
| 12 | Andrew Hoy | Equestrian | |
| 13 | Hubert Raudaschl | Sailing | |
| 14 | Nazim Huseynov | Judo | |
| 15 | Frank Rutherford | Athletics | |
| 16 | Mohamed Al-Sala | Sailing | |
| 17 | Saiful Alam | Shooting | |
| 18 | Obadele Thompson | Athletics | |
| 19 | Aleksey Medvedev | Wrestling | |
| 20 | Jean-Michel Saive | Table tennis | |
| 21 | Eugène Muslar | Athletics | |
| 22 | Laure Kuetey | Athletics | |
| 23 | Brian Wellman | Athletics | |
| 24 | Jubzhang Jubzhang | Archery | |
| 25 | Policarpio Calizaya | Athletics | |
| 26 | Islam Ðugum | Athletics | |
| 27 | Justice Dipeba | Athletics | |
| 28 | Joaquim Cruz | Athletics | |
| 29 | Keita Cline | Athletics | |
| 30 | Jefri Bolkiah | Shooting | |
| 31 | Dimo Tonev | Volleyball | |
| 32 | Franck Zio | Athletics | |
| 33 | Dieudonné Kwizéra | Athletics | |
| 34 | To Rithya | Athletics | |
| 35 | Georgette Nkoma | Athletics | |
| 36 | Charmaine Crooks | Athletics | |
| 37 | Manuel Jesús Rodrígues | Volleyball ' | |
| 38 | Carson Ebanks | Sailing | |
| 39 | Mickaël Conjungo | Athletics | |
| 40 | Kaltouma Nadjina | Athletics | |
| 41 | Sebastian Keitel | Athletics | |
| 42 | Liu Yudong | Basketball | |
| 43 | Marlon Pérez Arango | Cycling | |
| 44 | Faissoil Ben Daoud | Athletics ' | |
| 45 | Léontine Tsiba | Athletics | |
| 46 | Sam Nunuke Pera | Weightlifting | |
| 47 | Henry Núñez | Judo | |
| 48 | Jean-Olivier Zirignon | Athletics | |
| 49 | Perica Bukić | Water polo | |
| 50 | Rolando Tucker | Fencing | |
| 51 | Antonakis Andreou | Shooting | |
| 52 | Václav Chalupa | Rowing | |
| 53 | Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen | Badminton | |
| 54 | Hussein Ahmed Salah | Athletics | |
| 55 | Jerome Romain | Athletics | |
| 56 | Joan Guzmán | Boxing | |
| 57 | Felipe Delgado | Swimming | |
| 58 | Hosam Abdallah | Handball | |
| 59 | Juan Vargas | Judo | |
| 60 | Gustavo Envela Mahua | Athletics | |
| 61 | Jüri Jaanson | Rowing | |
| 62 | Derartu Tulu | Athletics | |
| 63 | Jone Delai | Athletics | |
| 64 | Mikko Kolehmainen | Canoeing | |
| 65 | Vladimir Bogdevski | Handball ' | |
| 66 | Marie-José Pérec | Athletics | |
| 67 | Roger Oyembo | Chef de mission | |
| 68 | Dawda Jallow | Athletics | |
| 69 | Giorgi Kandelaki | Boxing | |
| 70 | Arnd Schmitt | Fencing | |
| 71 | Moro Tijani | Boxing | |
| 72 | Steve Redgrave | Rowing | |
| 73 | Jason Charter | Athletics ' | |
| 74 | Patrick Sagisi | Swimming | |
| 75 | Attila Solti | Shooting | |
| 76 | Joseph Loua | Athletics | |
| 77 | Talata Embalo | Wrestling | |
| 78 | John Douglas | Boxing | |
| 79 | Adler Volmar | Judo | |
| 80 | Darwin Angeles | Boxing | |
| 81 | Chan Sau Ying | Athletics | |
| 82 | Bence Szabó | Fencing | |
| 83 | Jón Arnar Magnússon | Athletics | |
| 84 | Pargat Singh | Field hockey | |
| 85 | Hendrik Simangunsong | Boxing | |
| 86 | Lida Fariman | Shooting | |
| 87 | Raed Ahmed | Weightlifting | |
| 88 | Francie Barrett | Boxing | |
| 89 | Lydia Hatuel | Fencing | |
| 90 | Giovanna Trillini | Fencing | |
| 91 | Juliet Cuthbert | Athletics | |
| 92 | Ryoko Tamura | Judo | |
| 93 | Walid Al-Awazem | Judo ' | |
| 94 | Yermakhan Ibraimov | Boxing | |
| 95 | Paul Tergat | Athletics | |
| 96 | Choi Cheon-Sik | Volleyball | |
| 97 | Abdullah Al-Rashidi | Shooting | |
| 98 | Sergey Ashihmin | Swimming | |
| 99 | Thongdy Amnouayphone | Athletics | |
| 100 | Einārs Tupurītis | Athletics | |
| 101 | Mohamed Al-Aywan | Weightlifting | |
| 102 | Jassie Mathunta | Chef de mission | |
| 103 | Kouty Mawenh | Athletics | |
| 104 | Mehdi Abdulkheirat | Official | |
| 105 | Birgit Blum | Judo | |
| 106 | Raimundas Mažuolis | Swimming | |
| 107 | Anne Kremer | Tennis | |
| 108 | Dally Randriantefy | Tennis | |
| 109 | John Mwathiwa | Athletics | |
| 110 | Nor Saiful Zaini | Field hockey | |
| 111 | Ahmed Shageef | Athletics | |
| 112 | Monique Ross | Envoy | |
| 113 | Carol Galea | Athletics | |
| 114 | Noureddine Ould Ménira | Athletics | |
| 115 | Khemraj Naïko | Athletics | |
| 116 | Nancy Contreras | Cycling | |
| 117 | Vadim Vacarciuc | Weightlifting | |
| 118 | Thierry Vatrican | Judo | |
| 119 | Dolgorsürengiin Sumyaabazar | Wrestling | |
| 120 | Khalid Skah | Athletics | |
| 121 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Athletics | |
| 122 | Soe Myint | Shooting | |
| 123 | Friedhelm Sack | Shooting | |
| 124 | Marcus Stephen | Weightlifting | |
| 125 | Tika Bogati | Athletics | |
| 126 | Nico Rienks | Rowing | |
| 127 | Sergio Murray | Judo | |
| 128 | Barbara Kendall | Sailing | |
| 129 | Walter Martínez | Shooting | |
| 130 | Abdou Manzo | Athletics | |
| 131 | Mary Onyali-Omagbemi | Athletics | |
| 132 | Linda Andersen | Sailing | |
| 133 | Khalaf Al-Khatri | Shooting | |
| 134 | Mansoor Ahmed | Field hockey | |
| 135 | Majed Abu Maraheel | Athletics | |
| 136 | Eileen Coparropa | Swimming | |
| 137 | Subul Babo | Athletics | |
| 138 | Ramón Jiménez Gaona | Athletics | |
| 139 | Chae Ra-U | Table tennis ' | |
| 140 | Juan Giha | Shooting | |
| 141 | Reynaldo Galido | Boxing | |
| 142 | Rafał Szukała | Swimming | |
| 143 | Fernando Ribeiro | Athletics | |
| 144 | Ivelisse Echevarría | Softball | |
| 145 | Ibrahim Ismail Muftah | Athletics | |
| 146 | Iulică Ruican | Rowing | |
| 147 | Alexander Karelin | Wrestling | |
| 148 | Parfait Ntukamyagwe | Athletics ' | |
| 149 | Diane Dunrod-Francis | Athletics | |
| 150 | Michelle Baptiste | Athletics | |
| 151 | Eswort Coombs | Athletics | |
| 152 | Manlio Molinari | Athletics | |
| 153 | Sortelina Pires | Athletics | |
| 154 | Khaled Al-Khalidi | Athletics | |
| 155 | Ibou Faye | Athletics | |
| 156 | Rival Cadeau | Boxing | |
| 157 | Eunice Barber | Athletics | |
| 158 | Lee Wung Yew | Shooting | |
| 159 | Jozef Lohyňa | Wrestling | |
| 160 | Brigita Bukovec | Athletics | |
| 161 | Joseph Onika | Athletics ' | |
| 162 | Abdi Bile | Athletics | |
| 163 | Masibulele Makepula | Boxing | |
| 164 | Luis Doreste | Sailing | |
| 165 | Sriyani Kulawansa | Athletics | |
| 166 | Mahmoud Musa Abdullah | Athletics ' | |
| 167 | Enrico Linscheer | Swimming | |
| 168 | Daniel Sibandze | Athletics | |
| 169 | Jan-Ove Waldner | Table tennis | |
| 170 | Stefan Schärer | Handball | |
| 171 | Ghada Shouaa | Athletics | |
| 172 | Tu Tsai-hsing | Shooting | |
| 173 | Andrey Abduvaliyev | Athletics | |
| 174 | Ikaji Salum | Athletics | |
| 175 | Vissanu Sophanich | Athletics | |
| 176 | Téko Folligan | Athletics | |
| 177 | Paea Wolfgramm | Boxing | |
| 178 | Gene Samuel | Cycling | |
| 179 | Iskander Hachicha | Judo | |
| 180 | Derya Büyükuncu | Swimming | |
| 181 | Rozy Rejepov | Wrestling | |
| 182 | Mary Musoke | Table tennis | |
| 183 | Sergey Bubka | Athletics | |
| 184 | Nabil Abdul Tahlak | Shooting | |
| 185 | Marcelo Filippini | Tennis | |
| 186 | Timur Ibragimov | Boxing | |
| 187 | Tawai Keiruan | Athletics | |
| 188 | Francisco Sánchez | Swimming | |
| 189 | Nguyễn Hữu Huy | Judo ' | |
| 190 | Lisa Neuburger | Sailing | |
| 191 | Bob Gasio | Boxing | |
| 192 | Abdullah Al-Izani | Wrestling | |
| 193 | Igor Milanović | Water polo | |
| 194 | Lukengu Ngalula | Basketball | |
| 195 | Davis Mwale | Boxing | |
| 196 | Tendai Chimusasa | Athletics | |
| 197 | Bruce Baumgartner | Wrestling |