of Georgia, William "Billy" Payne, conceived the idea of hosting the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Atlanta mayor Andrew Young was among the first to join Payne in the quest to develop a bid and sell the proposal, first to local business leaders, then to the U.S. Olympic Committee, and finally to the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The home of the Bulldogs hosted the medal round of the men's and women's Olympic football (soccer) in July 1996. Sanford Stadium was temporarily converted into a soccer stadium which saw the removal of the privet hedges surrounding the playing field. The hedges had been symbolic to UGA since the early 1930s. The hedges were restored after the Olympic games. In 1996, UGA's High Point was selected as the training site for the U.S. Dressage Team, which competed in the Summer Olympic games at the International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia. The university's basketball stadium, Stegeman Coliseum, was the venue for Volleyball and Rhythmic Gymnastics.
== Traditions ==
=== …
