The Olympic Symbols

Flag and Rings

    Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics, designed the flag around 1913.  The borderless flag displays five interlocking rings in the center on a plain white background.  Each ring is a different color of blue, black, red, yellow, and green.  It is thought these colors were chosen because at least one color can be found in the flag of every nation on the planet.  A different ring represents the continents of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe.  The Olympic Flag was first used at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium.  After the games are completed, the mayor of the host city presents the mayor of the future host city the symbolic flag.  The item then remains at the town hall of the future host city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of the next Olympic Games. 

Oath

    At the beginning of each Olympics, every athlete promises to play fairly and obey all of the Olympic rules.  One athlete from the host country takes the oath at the Opening Ceremonies on behalf of all the athletes.  The athlete that is chosen holds a corner of the Olympic Flag while repeating the oath.  The oath is as follows:

                "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."

      Baron Pierre de Coubertin wrote the oath.  It became part of our Modern Olympic Games in 1920.  The Olympic officials also have to take an oath.  Like the athletes, one official is chosen to hold a corner of the Olympic Flag and repeats a similar oath on behalf of all the officials.

The Olympic Flame

         The lighting of the Olympic Flame comes from the ancient Greeks.  During the Ancient Olympic Games the sun’s rays were used to light the sacred flame at Olympia.  It stayed lit until the games were over.  The flame represented the “endeavor for protection and struggle for victory.”

The flame was first introduced into our Modern Olympics at the 1928 Games held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  Since then, the flame symbolizes “the light of spirit, knowledge, and life.”

The Torch Relay also started in the Olympics.  It was revived in 1936 in the Berlin Games.  Originally, the torch was lit at Olympia, Greece and then was carried by relay to the host city of the games.  During the Opening Ceremony the last runner carries the torch into the Olympic Stadium.  The flame is then lit from the torch and stays lit until it is extinguished in the Closing Ceremony.  The Torch Relay symbolizes Olympic traditions being passed from one generation to the next.

Olympic Creed

          The Olympic Creed, otherwise known as the Olympic Message, has appeared on the scoreboard of every modern Olympic Games during the Opening Ceremony.  It states the following:

          “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.”

     Baron Pierre de Coubertin adopted this creed after he was inspired from a sermon by the Bishop of Pennsylvania at a service for Olympic athletes in 1908.  It tells us that in our own life, just like in the Olympics, winning is not the most important thing.  The most important thing is the ultimate challenge for which we all struggle as we attempt to be “Swifter, Higher, Stronger," the Olympic motto.

For more information, visit:

http://olympic.org