The bronze sculpture was refurbished in 1995 and rededicated in Woodruff Park for the 1996 Centennial Olympics.

The mascot for the Paralympic Summer Games in Atlanta 1996 was Blaze. Blaze was created by Trevor Stone Irvin of IrvinProductions in Atlanta.

Blaze is a phoenix, a mythical bird that rises from ashes to experience a renewed life. The phoenix appears in Egyptian, Arabian, Chinese, Russian and native American folklore and in all instances symbolizes strength, vision, inspiration and survival. The phoenix was an ideal mascot for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and later for BlazeSports America, a nonprofit organization that is the direct legacy of the Games. The phoenix has long been the symbol of Atlanta’s rebirth after its devastation in the American Civil War.

Sydney 2000

In accordance with the Olympic Charter which governs the Closing Ceremony, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch called on the youth of the world to assemble in Sydney, in four years, for the next Summer Olympics

This part of the program culminated in the "Antwerp Ceremony" (so called because the original Olympic flag, which was used for transfer of the Games, was first used at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp), which is the transfer of the Olympic Flag, from the mayor of Atlanta, Bill Campbell, to Samaranch, and then to the mayor of Sydney, Frank Sartor. Immediately succeeding the transition, an elaborate presentation of the host city Sydney commenced. It featured many dancers dressed up as aborigines, plants, and animals native to Australia. Four inflated balloons arose to form an imaginary Sydney Opera House while more dancers ran around to form the sea.

Afterwards, Atlanta native mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore, along with the Morehouse College Glee Club and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra sang the Olympic Hymnwhile the Olympic flag was lowered. This flag would be raised again in Nagano during the opening ceremonies of the 1998 Winter Olympics; opening ceremony there took place on February 7, 1998.

A New Era and Eternity

As part of the fireworks on Sydney Harbour to mark New Year's Day of the year 2000, the graffito "Eternity" was illuminated on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.^[3] This moment was symbolically recreated later that year as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony, beamed to billions of television viewers worldwide.

Awakening

The awakening segment commemorated Australia's Aboriginal past, which dates back thousands of years.

http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/wandjina-rock-art-kimberley-au

The olive wreath, itself a symbol of Athens, reinforces the significance of the Olympic
symbol. In the Ancient Olympic Games the olive wreath was the highest possible honor
an athlete could be awarded, thus establishing a connection between modern-day Olympic
tradition, and the Olympic ideals of ancient times. The circular shape of the olive wreath
is a powerful symbol, capturing a multitude of meanings both for Greece and the Games.
It is a symbol of infinity and simplicity, and can also be seen as an extension of the Olympic rings, and in a broader sense, the circle of life

Here's an explanation for the choice of wheat: (excerpted from the Official Guide to the Closing Ceremony):

A golden spiral wheat field at the centre of the stadium formed the centerpiece of the programme. Made up of 45,000 individually ‘planted’ stalks, it covered an area of almost 6,000 sq. metres. It took 100 man-hours to ‘plant’ the wheat stalks.The spiral wheat field was chosen because, in Greek folklore, golden wheat is the “fruit of the marriage between the earth and the sun”.
In Greek festivities, “wheat symbolised the fertility of the earth, the awakening of life that arises from death”.According to the Technical Director of the ceremony, “The spiral represents the notion of infinity, a form that frequently recurs in nature. Our galaxy is spiral in form.”The programme started with a colourful and vibrant ‘mosaic of celebrations’ a medley of ancient, traditional and popular Greek music with the synopsis,“May the dances last forever”.
The theme was “May God keep us healthy, so we can always meet and celebrate, dancing in circles as free as a river.”

http://www.goroadachi.com/etemenanki/blog-04sept.htm

The opening ceremony officially began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time (UTC+8) on August 8, 2008 in the Beijing National Stadium.^[61]The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture, and here it was a triple eight for the date and one extra for time (close to 08:08:08 pm).
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The mystic knot is a knot of eternity (figure eight) and is comprised of six other infinity knots.
http://cudafaves.blogspot.ca/2008/07/chen-shaohua.html
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200112/28/eng20011228_87632.shtml

The Logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay owes much of its inspiration to the traditional concept of "fire phoenix

Eternal: a phoenix behind the Olympic cauldron as it is extinguished - but the flame will be reborn in Athens in four years time

Advertising specialist, Washington Olivetto describes the Rio 2016 brand as having "graphic harmony and continuous movement needed in the practice of all sports". It can be still or in 3D, with angles suggesting infinity. Designer Ricardo Leite also waxed lyrical about the logo which he describes as "a sculpture or jewellery that gains new angles as it turns".

Fred Gelli, Tatil Design: We decided to express in this logo not the thing that represents our difference, but exactly the opposite – what we have in common. We decided to use two icons. One is the heart, and the other is the infinity symbol, to represent the infinite energy of the athletes. When you put this together you have a heart that beats with infinite energy. We also decided that this logo should be multisensory – for everybody. First of all it’s a 3D logo, so it already incorporates touch. To that we added a sound – a heartbeat. Connected to the sculpture is a subwoofer with vibrations, so deaf people can feel it and there is also a rhythmic light in it. We’re working on creating a smell too…

As the wreath has no beginning and no end, the logo also signifies the concepts of eternity, happiness and a continuous unbroken cycle.

Across time, the circle or ring shape of a wreath that has no beginning and no end symbolizes eternity or eternal rebirth.

Student entry

Shimamine submitted the design to a national competition held to pick a logo while she was in her final year as a student at Joshibi University of Art and Design. It's based around a wreath of cherry blossoms, Japan’s most celebrated flower and an integral part of the nation's cultural life.

The traditional Olympic colours of red, yellow, green and blue are combined with purple, which represents the celebrated Edo period of Japanese history. The circular shape of the logo is designed to symbolise a sense of eternity, and each individual petal represents the interconnectivity and interdependence of the world.

Wreath emblem

Surprisingly, Shimamine says the shape was also designed to symbolise a wreath. "I once saw a scene in a foreign film where a wreath was laid on a grave and wondered about the meaning behind the gesture," she said in an interview with the Ginza Street Association. "When I looked it up, I discovered that wreaths carry a message of 'coming back again'. I took this concept and infused the hope that Japan will recover its vigor and courage through sports."