A Greek-born Australian man is the proud owner of the gigantic rings that adorned the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the 2000 Olympic Games, after successfully bidding $21,100 for them on the online auction site eBay.

Tony Stavropoulos, 61, an electrician from Newcastle and a self-described lover of the Olympics, said the moment he saw them advertised he knew he "had to have a go at this".

The Harbour Bridge sports the Olympic Rings during the 2000 Games in Sydney. Credit: Andrew Meares

"Since the Greeks invented the Games, I saw it and thought I can't let an opportunity like this go," he said.

"There's not too many sets of rings going around from the Sydney Olympic Games."