This set of five red and blue banners appeared on stage at the Sydney 2000 Torch Relay celebrations. Made from polyester, they were easily packed and transported throughout their 100-day journey across Australia. The separate designs include the Torch Relay logo, route map, list of sponsors, and the Fluid Energy motif that appeared on many official Olympic items.

From September 1998 onwards, SOCOG and Local Community Working Groups formed a schedule of daily festivities that would take place along the Sydney 2000 Torch Relay route. In all, 188 Australian communities would welcome the Olympic flame and host vibrant festivities to celebrate their culture, heritage and participation in an Olympic event. Ultimately, these celebrations would become major expressions of civic pride and Olympic spirit in the weeks preceding the Sydney 2000 Games.

Australian tourist commissions, ethnic affairs groups and local councils were instrumental in selecting communities to host the celebrations. Essentially, participating communities were spaced conveniently along the route, and were capable of accommodating a portable stage (folding outwards from a semi-trailer), seating, and the Torch Relay Crew. Preferably, they were a testament to Australia's diverse culture, melding indigenous and multi-ethnic traditions.

The celebrations uniformly took place at lunchtime and evening, and followed a routine format of an opening ceremony, community entertainment, arrival of the torch, lighting of a community cauldron, and departure of the flame. In spite of this repetition, each celebration provided a unique fusion of civic decorations and entertainment.

The portable custom-built stage was a hub for official proceedings, community participation and the ignited community cauldron. The foreground, with two radiating segments, provided entry and exit points for torchbearers, and seating for sponsors and special guests.

Image Department, SOCOG

Selby's Flags and Banners, Rydalmere

Used during Torch Relay celebrations, 8 June to 15 September 2000

Made for and owned by the Olympic Coordination Authority/Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, and donated to the Powerhouse Museum after use in the Games.

Banners, Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay, polyester, made by Selby's Flags and Banners, Sydney c.2000

Banners, five polyester banners in various colours and designs for the Torch Relay. Three of the banners feature the Olympic Torch Relay logo, one features a map showing the route of the torch relay and the other is a Paralympic torch relay banner, listing the major sponsors for the Paralympic torch relay.

Made: 2000

2001/84/283

2000