Five Rings

The Olympic symbol (five interlocked rings)  represents the union of the five original major continents (Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe) and the meeting of the athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The five colors of the rings from left to right are blue, black and red across the top and yellow and green along the bottom.

Creed

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." The words of the Olympic creed are dedicated to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

Motto

The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Braver," but is universally accepted to mean "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

Oath

The Olympic oath is a symbolic gesture of sportsmanship that traces its origins to the 1920 Olympic Games. One athlete from the host country takes an oath at Opening Ceremonies on behalf of all the athletes. The oath is "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams."

Victory Ceremonies

On the podium, medals are presented to the first, second and third-place finishers. The winner stands in the middle at the highest elevation; the runner-up stands slightly below to the victor's right and the third-place finisher stands lower and to the left.

Medals

Olympic medals must be at least 60 millimetres in diameter and at least three millimetres thick. Gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver; the gold medal must be gilded with at least six grams of gold. The design of the medals is the responsibility of the host city's organising committee.

Flame

          The idea of lighting an Olympic flame for the duration of the Games derives from the ancient Greeks who used a flame lit by the sun's rays at Olympiad,             the site of the original Games. The concept was revived in 1936 and has remained an Olympic tradition.

          Hymn

The Olympic Hymn is played when the Olympic Flag is raised. The music was composed by Spirou Samara. The words were added by Costis of Greece in 1896.

Olympic Games mascots are selected by the local organising committee of the host city. In Lillehammer, human beings were selected as the mascots for the first time with Hakon and Kristin, who were named after historical figures from the 13th century. In Atlanta, the official mascot was the computer-generated "Izzy." For Nagano in 1998, the mascots were collectively called "Snowlets," based on an owl motif.

The term "Olympiad" designates the period of four consecutive years which begin with the Games of the Olympiad and end with the opening of the next Games of the Olympiad. The Olympiads are numbered consecutively from the first Olympic Games (or 1st Games of the Olympiad), held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Even the Games cancelled by the war in 1916, 1940 and 1944 are counted. However, the term Olympiad is not used in conjunction with the Olympic Winter Games, which are numbered only when they are actually held. The Games of the XXVII Olympiad will be held in 2000 in Sydney, Australia. The XVIIIth Olympic Winter Games were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.

The U.S. Olympic Committee refers to the same four-year cycle as the "quadrennium." The USOC is currently in the 1997-2000 quadrennium.

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