Olympic symbols- attributes of the Olympic Games used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the idea of the Olympic Movement throughout the world.
Olympic symbols include the flag (rings), anthem, oath, slogan, medals, fire, olive branch, fireworks, mascots, emblem. Any use of Olympic symbols for commercial purposes is prohibited by the Olympic Charter.
FLAG and EMBLEM
The flag is a white silk cloth with the Olympic emblem embroidered on it. The emblem was invented by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913.
The Olympic emblem and Olympic flag were first presented at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920.
The 1920 flag, presented at the Olympic Games in Antwerp, was replaced by the new Olympic flag in 1988, presented at the XXIV Olympic Games in Seoul. The old flag is now kept in the Olympic Games Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The flag of the Olympic movement is a white field, in the center of which is the Olympic emblem: 5 intertwined rings arranged in two rows (three in the top, two in the bottom). Ring colors (from left to right): blue, yellow, black, green, red.
The rings symbolize the union (unity) of the five parts of the world and the global nature of the Olympic Games.
The rings are connected along a chain, in the shape of the letter W, with the outer ones (blue, red) each intersecting with only one other ring, and those located in the center - each with two rings.
The rings symbolize the five continents. However, contrary to popular belief, each of the rings does not belong to any specific continent. The six colors (together with the white background of the canvas) are combined in such a way that they represent the national colors of all countries of the world without exception.
Until 1951, the official guide stated that the colors of the rings corresponded different parts light: Europe - blue, Asia - yellow, Africa - black, Australia - green and America - red. However, this was later removed from there, since there was no evidence that Pierre de Coubertin intended this particular distribution of colors.
ANTHEM AND OATH
The anthem of the Olympic Games is performed when raising the Olympic flag during the opening of the next games, as well as at their completion and in some other cases. Written by Greek composer Spyros Samaras.
One of the outstanding athletes takes an oath of integrity of the competition on behalf of all competitors. Then one of the judges takes an oath of fair and objective judging.
Proposed by de Coubertin in 1913. Revives oath-taking similar to the ancient one. It was first officially pronounced in 1920 at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp.
OLYMPIC MOTTO
"Faster, higher, stronger", which is a translation of the Latin expression "Citius, Altius, Fortius". The slogan was coined by the French priest Henri Didon and proposed by Pierre de Coubertin when creating the International Olympic Committee in 1894 and introduced at the VIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 1924.
There is also an unofficial motto, “The main thing is not victory, but participation,” the authorship of which is erroneously attributed to de Coubertin.
In fact, this phrase is associated with the tragedy of the runner Pietri Dorando, who was disqualified from running the marathon (London, 1908) due to assistance provided to him at the finish line. Help he didn't ask for. The next day, a solemn ceremony for presenting prizes took place. One of the members of the royal family invited the Italian to the podium and presented him with a gold cup for his outstanding sporting achievement.
On this day, the Pennsylvania bishop spoke the following words from the pulpit of St. Peter's Cathedral: “At the Olympics, the main thing is not victory, but participation.” According to writers Laszlo Kuhn and V.V. Stolbov, participation means empathy for an athlete who fought with all his might, but could not win.
OLYMPIC MEDALS
Olympic medals - gold, silver and bronze - are awarded to the three athletes who show the best results in the competition. In team sports, all team members receive medals of equal value.
The design of the medals awarded to athletes at the first eight Summer Olympic Games was completely different and was developed independently by each Organizing Committee. From 1920 to 2000, a standard design was used for the obverse of Olympic medals: the goddess Nike with a palm branch in right hand, honoring the winner. The reverse of the medal changed depending on the wishes of the country where the Games were held. Since 2004, this tradition has been abandoned, and both sides of the coin are made according to unique design organizers of the Games.
At the games of 1896 and 1901, only athletes who took 1st and 2nd place were awarded medals. There was no gold medal then, and only silver and bronze were awarded. Moreover, at the 1900 Games, in many events medals were not awarded at all, and instead the organizers awarded participants with cups and diplomas.
Until 1960, medals were made without fastenings and were awarded directly to the winners. Organizers of the 1960 Games in Rome for the first time made thin bronze chains in the shape of an olive branch so that medals could be hung around the necks of athletes. It is interesting that, introducing an innovation not provided for by the rules, the organizers played it safe and gave the girls who brought out the medals for awarding scissors to quickly cut the chains in case of objections. However, I liked the idea, and since then chains or ribbons have been attached to Olympic medals.
OLYMPIC FLAME
The Olympic flame was lit for the first time at the IX Summer Games in Amsterdam (Netherlands).
The Olympic flame is lit on the territory of the ruins of the temple of the goddess Hera in ancient Olympia in Greece from a parabolic mirror. The flame on the torch is passed from athlete to athlete during a multi-day symbolic relay race that passes through all 5 inhabited continents of the Earth. The flame arrives at the site of the Olympic Games on their opening day. The relay finalist lights the Olympic bonfire with a torch. This symbolizes the beginning of the games. At the end of all competitions, the Olympic flame of the bonfire is extinguished, symbolizing the closure of the games.
The first Olympic torch relay from Olympia and the lighting ceremony of the Olympic bonfire were held at the XI Summer Olympic Games in Berlin (Germany) in 1936. The flame was lit in Olympia on July 20, 1936, and the relay ended in Berlin on August 1, 1936.
The idea for the relay arose from Diem during preparations for the VI Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, which were canceled due to the First World War.
OLYMPIC TALISMAN AND EMBLEM
The mascot for each Olympics is chosen by the host country at its discretion. Typically, the mascot is chosen to be an animal or other stylized image that is associated in the minds of most people with the host country.
Initially, the revived Olympic Games had only an emblem and a flag. Talismans appeared quite recently, in 1968. Moreover, some believe that the progenitor of all Olympic mascots was the funny alpine skier Schuss, who became the symbol of the White Olympics in Grenoble. Others are sure that the first jaguar mascot appeared at the Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Be that as it may, the first official mascot is the dachshund Waldi, who was born in 1972 at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich. Waldi (a masculine name, because in German the word “dachshund” is masculine) was chosen as the mascot of the games because, as it is written on the International Olympic Committee website, “he has the qualities of a real athlete: stamina, perseverance and dexterity.” Waldi is also famous for the fact that he is the only pet to become a mascot in the entire history of the Olympic Games.
In addition, each Olympic Games has its own unique emblem, symbolizing the city and the host country. Usually, but not always, the emblem element is the Olympic rings. The official Olympic emblem consists of the Olympic symbol and the Olympic motto: the symbol is five interlocking colored rings on a white background, and the official motto is “Citius, altius, fortius” (“Faster, higher, stronger!”), which has changed in recent Games, or you can say, in addition to the official one, they came up with another one. Only the IOC and NOC have the right to use the Olympic emblem. National Olympic Committees each time had their own emblem. This is stated in the Olympic Charter, as well as the fact that the use of the emblem by other organizations for any commercial purposes without the permission of the IOC is prohibited.
Olympic symbol
Olympic symbols- these are all the attributes of the Olympic Games used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the idea of the Olympic Movement throughout the world.
Olympic symbols include rings, anthem, oath, slogan, medals, fire, olive branch, fireworks, mascots, flag, emblem. . Any use of Olympic symbols for commercial purposes is prohibited by the Olympic Charter
Olympic flag with the symbol of the Olympic Games
Olympic rings
The symbol of the Olympic movement consists of 5 intertwined rings on a white background: blue, yellow, black, green and red. According to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the rings symbolize the five continents whose countries participate in the Olympic movement.
The emblem was invented by de Coubertin in 1913 and presented at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920.
Hymn
Main article: Olympic Anthem
The anthem of the Olympic Games is performed when raising the Olympic flag during the opening of the next games, as well as at their completion and in some other cases.
The name of this symbol is: “Children of Fortune”, or “Fuwa” - the goddess of prosperity.
Oath
One of the outstanding athletes takes an oath of integrity of the competition on behalf of all competitors. Then one of the judges takes an oath of fair and objective judging.
Proposed by de Coubertin in 1913. Revives oath-taking similar to the ancient one. It was first officially pronounced in 1920 at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp.
Mottos and slogans
"Faster, higher, stronger", which is a translation of the Latin expression "Citius, Altius, Fortius". The slogan was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin when creating the International Olympic Committee in 1894 and presented at the VIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 1924.
There is also an unofficial motto, “The main thing is not victory, but participation,” the authorship of which is erroneously attributed to de Coubertin. In fact, this phrase is associated with the tragedy of the runner Pietri Dorando, who was disqualified from running the marathon (London, 1908) due to assistance provided to him at the finish line. Help he didn't ask for. The next day, a solemn ceremony for presenting prizes took place. One of the members of the royal family invited the Italian to the podium and presented him with a gold cup for his outstanding sporting achievement. On this day, the Pennsylvania bishop spoke the following words from the pulpit of St. Peter's Cathedral: “At the Olympics, the main thing is not victory, but participation.” Participation in the sense of empathy for an athlete who fought with all his might, but could not win.
Medals
Medal of the XXIII Summer Olympic Games
Olympic medals: gold, silver and bronze are awarded to the three athletes who show the best results in the competition. In team sports, all team members receive medals of equal value.
The design of the medals awarded to athletes at the first eight Summer Olympic Games was completely different and was developed independently by each Organizing Committee. From 1920 to 2000, a standard design was used for the obverse of Olympic medals. Goddess Nike with a palm branch in her right hand, honoring the winner. The reverse of the medal changed depending on the wishes of the country where the Games were held. Since 2004, this tradition has been abandoned and both sides of the medal are made according to the unique design of the Games organizers.
At the games of 1896 and 1900, only athletes who took 1st and 2nd place were awarded medals. There was no gold medal then, and only silver and bronze were awarded. Moreover, at the 1900 Games, in many events medals were not awarded at all, and instead the organizers awarded participants with cups and diplomas. However, for consistency in reference literature, gold, silver and bronze medals are used for these games as well.
Fire
Olympic Torch Relay 2008 London
The Olympic flame is lit on Mount Olympus in Greece from a parabolic mirror and is passed using a torch through a relay race from athlete to athlete. In this way, the Olympic flame crosses all 5 inhabited continents of the Earth and arrives at the site of the Olympic Games on their opening day in order to light the flame of the Olympic bonfire. This symbolizes the opening of the games. At the end of all competitions, the Olympic flame of the bonfire is extinguished, symbolizing the closing of the games.
Olive branch
The olive branch, or cotinos, is a branch folded into a wreath that is presented to the winner along with a gold medal.
The tradition of presenting it was revived at the XXVIII Summer Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
Firework
Games emblem
Emblem of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
Main article: Olympic emblem
Each Olympic Games has its own unique emblem symbolizing the host city and country. Usually the element of the emblem is the Olympic rings, but this has often been changed. The official Olympic emblem consists of the Olympic symbol and the Olympic motto: the symbol is five intertwined colored rings on a white background, and the official motto is “Citius, altius, fortius” (“Faster, higher, stronger!”), which has changed in recent Games, or you can say, in addition to the official one, they came up with another one. Only the IOC and NOC have the right to use the Olympic emblem. National Olympic Committees each time had their own emblem. This is stated in the Olympic Charter, as well as the fact that the use of the emblem by other organizations for any commercial purposes without the permission of the IOC is prohibited.
see also
Links
- About Olympic symbols (Russian)
- Official website of the Olympic movement (English)
- Statistics of results of all Olympic Games (English)
- Virtual Museum of the Olympic Games
- Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland
Notes
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
See what the “Olympic symbol” is in other dictionaries: Olympic symbol
- Five Olympic rings, used separately, in one color or in several colors. The five interlocking rings emblem, representing the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games, is the trademarked property of the IOC...- olimpinis simbolis statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Penki vienos ar skirtingų spalvų olimpiniai žiedai, naudojami vieni patys. Penki sunerti žiedai reiškia penkių pasaulio žemynų sąjungą olimpiniame sąjūdyje: nesiliečiantys ir … Sporto terminų žodynas
Olympic flag- is a white panel without a border. In its center is the Olympic symbol in five colors. (See Rule 9 of the Olympic Charter) The design and proportions are exactly the same as the flag presented by Pierre de Coubertin at... ... Technical Translator's Guide
Almost 96 years after their introduction, many of us are still unaware of the significance of the Olympic rings. To find out the meaning of the Olympic rings and their connection to the concept of the Olympic Games, read on...
The Olympic Games, popularly known as the Olympics, are a major sporting event in which thousands of athletes from around the world compete in various types sports There are two versions of this international sporting event - the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, each of which takes place alternately every two years.
History of Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games we see today are the creation of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, who was inspired by the ancient Olympic festivals and decided to revive them. Many attempts were made to revive the game, but only Coubertin's efforts bore fruit at the end of the 19th century, only thanks to his persistence. After all, the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 and the first modern Olympic Games were held two years later, in 1896 in Athens.
Symbols of the Olympic Games
A wide variety of games are used to represent the games: badges, flags, flames and other symbols are used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the game throughout the year and especially during the games. The motto of the Olympic Games is Citius, Altius, Fortius, which in Latin means: “Faster, higher, stronger.” The Olympic Games emblem is a design created by integrating the Olympic rings with one or more distinctive elements. The Olympic torch is received on all continents and is escorted to the site of the games to light the Olympic flame and begin the games. The Olympic flag, which was designed by Coubertin himself, sports five interlocking rings on a white background.
What do the Olympic rings mean?
The five intertwined rings that are depicted 
on the Olympic flag are known as the Olympic rings. These rings are colored blue, yellow, black, green And red color, and intertwined with each other, are in principle a symbol of the Olympic Games. Olympic rings were developed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1912. The five rings represent the five parts of the world: America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The Americas are treated as a single continent, while Antarctica and the Arctic have not been taken into account. Although there is no specific color associated with a specific continent or region, different theories about the meaning of the color of the Olympic rings tend to link them to different quotes. For example, at least one of the five colors among the Olympic rings is present on the flag of each of the participating countries. The five Olympic rings were adopted in 1914 and debuted at the 1920 Olympics in Belgium.
When this emblem was introduced in August 1912, de Coubertin stated the following in the Revue Olympique: The emblem chosen for illustration represents the World Congress of 1914...: five rings of different colors intertwined - blue, yellow, black, green, red and placed on a white sheet of paper. These five rings represent the five parts of the world that are now reviving the spirit of Olympism and are ready to embrace healthy competition.
The point of the Olympic rings, according to the International Olympic Committee, is to reinforce the idea that the Olympic Movement is an international campaign and all countries in the world are invited to join it. Even the Olympic Charter recognizes the importance of the Olympic rings by stating that they represent the union of the five continents, as well as the gathering of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Games. There is a strict code regarding the use of this symbol that must be followed under all circumstances. For example, even if the Olympic rings are shown on a black background, the black ring should not be replaced with a ring of a different color.
source ru.wikipedia.org
Is the sanctuary of the ancient Greeks - Olympia. It is located in the west of the Peloponnese Peninsula. This place on the banks of the Alpheus River, right at the foot of Kronos, is still the place where the eternal flame burns, from which from time to time the flame of the Olympic Games is lit and the torch relay starts.
The tradition of holding such sporting competitions was revived at the end of the nineteenth century by the French Baron de Coubertin. He was a famous public figure of that era. And since then, the Olympic Games have been held every 4 years. And since 1924, winter competitions began to be organized.
Olympic symbols
Along with the revival of the Olympic tradition, corresponding symbols appeared: flag, slogan, anthem, medals, talismans, emblem, etc. All of them were created with the aim of promoting this sporting idea throughout the world. By the way, the official emblem of the Olympic Games is five colored rings intertwined in such a way that they form two rows. The upper one consists of three rings, and the lower one, naturally, of two.
When mentioning the Olympics, everyone first of all remembers the emblem - intertwined rings of blue, black, scarlet, yellow and depicted on a white background. However, not everyone knows the exact details of the Olympic rings. There are several versions. Each of them is not devoid of logic and can claim to be considered correct. Below we present to your attention some of them.
- According to this version, the colors of the Olympic rings symbolize the continents. That is, this suggests that people from all over the world, or rather from all except Antarctica, can become participants in these games. Let's imagine what shades correspond to each of the continents? It turns out? Now let’s check if you were able to navigate correctly. So what color are the Olympic rings? Europe is America is red, Africa is black, Australia is green and Asia is yellow.
- Another version is associated with the name of the famous psychologist C. Jung. He is credited not only with the idea explaining the choice of this or that color, but also with the creation of the symbolism itself. According to this version, Jung, being an expert, proposed rings as an emblem - symbols of greatness and energy. The choice of the number of rings was associated with the five different energies (wood, water, metal, fire and earth) spoken of in Chinese philosophy. In addition, in 1912, Jung proposed the idea of pentathlon, i.e. it was believed that each of the participants in the competition should master the following sports: swimming, jumping, fencing, running and shooting. The colors of the Olympic rings, according to this theory, correspond to each of these sports, as well as one of the above five energies. The result was the following chains: swimming-water-blue, jumping-tree-green, running-earth-yellow, fencing-fire-red, shooting-metal-black.
- The third version is like an addition to the first. It is believed that the colors of the Olympic rings are all those shades that contain the flags of all countries of the world. Again, this means that participants can be athletes from all countries of the world without exception.
Agree that all versions are interesting, but it doesn’t matter which one is correct. The main thing is that these games unite all the peoples of the world. And let their representatives fight only in sports stadiums, and there will always be peace on our planet.
14.12.2015The Olympic Games have long been accompanied by the use of a number of symbols. The olive branch, the anthem, the motto, medals, the Olympic flame and, of course, the famous flag with the image of five multi-colored rings - all this was an integral attribute of the most significant world sporting competitions.
But it is the Olympic rings, depicted on a white background, that raise the most questions. Why do the rings sometimes change color and location, but their number never changes? In order to get answers, you need to go back in time. Let's find out what the Olympic rings mean.
What do the Olympic rings mean and what is their history? The famous French public and sports figure, historian and philanthropist Pierre de Coubertin initiated the resumption of the Olympic Games in 1894 and became Secretary General of the International Olympic Committee. At the congress at the Sorbonne, a joint decision was made on the location of the first Olympics - it was held in 1896 in Athens, which symbolized the origin of competitions of this kind in Ancient Greece. At the end of the first Games, Pierre de Coubertin became president of the Olympic Committee.
Pierre de Coubertin did a lot more for the Olympic Games - in particular, he made every effort to increase public interest in them, invented and introduced the new kind sports, modern pentathlon. Also with light hand baron, as part of the Olympics from 1912 to 1948, art competitions were held to show that a healthy mind is no less important than a healthy body.
Now some of his achievements and innovations have sunk into oblivion, while others are still thriving. But it is the Olympic flag that is the most famous creation of Pierre de Coubertin. Despite the fact that its design was developed back in 1913, the flag was first shown only at the Olympics in Antwerp in 1920. According to Coubertin himself, the Olympic rings actually represent the five continents of the globe. And the colors, including White background, are the collective colors of all the flags of the countries of the world that existed at that time. It is noteworthy that, contrary to popular belief, the rings were never tied to specific continents. Their main purpose was exactly like the meaning of the Olympics itself, emphasizing the unity of all people of the world.
How has the Olympic flag changed?
For the first time, the Olympic Committee agreed to deviate from Coubertin's original version only in 1936, during the Berlin Games. In addition to the fact that the flag's rings were made in black, there was an image of an eagle above them. In addition, the position of the rings was changed - they were located in the same row, but the first, third and fifth rose slightly above the rest.
The next Olympic Games took place only 12 years later. They took place in London, where a non-standard flag was again used - the rings were in the foreground, while views of the English capital served as the background. This Olympics is notable not only for the flag, but also for the record number of participating countries - athletes from 59 countries came to the competition.
At the 1960 Rome Olympics, designers created three-dimensional rings for the first time. The location of the rings did not change, but they were all painted silver. The 1968 games in Mexico City are also notable for the interesting stylization of the flag - there the rings became part of the number 68, symbolizing the year the Olympics were held. At the same time, for the first time in a long time they received their original colors.
Moscow also distinguished itself in the matter of stylizing the Olympic flag! At the 1980 Games, all red rings were positioned as standard, but the last two were partially hidden behind the Olympic Bear. Later, evil tongues began to claim that in this way the USSR wanted to show its disdain for the two continents. What - you can easily guess for yourself.
In Sochi in 2014, the Olympic flag itself was no different from the standard one, but a funny incident was associated with the Olympic rings - during the Opening, one of the rings, which were raised with complex structures, simply got stuck.
Olympic Games 2016
At the moment, it is already known which flag will be used as the official flag at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. However, in addition to the official one, the emblem invented and proposed by designers from Baku has also become widespread. On it, the rings are depicted in the form of little athletes, each of which, in its color, reflects a completely understandable continent. But the Olympic Committee rejected this option, despite its originality, for two reasons: firstly, it cannot be called correct, and secondly, the colors did not match the original ones.
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