Giorgos Sabanis appeared at the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony carrying a flag with an image of an olive branch symbolising not only peace, but Athens itself, lapped around the stadium, symbolically crossing tape dedicated to the previous 27 Olympiads. He even symbolically stumbled and stopped for the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games which were cancelled due to world wars. He ended his run at the very centre of the stadium, where Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and Jacques Rogge were under the olive tree, symbolising the Olympic's current journey, from Athens to Athens.