Olympic symbols

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses special icons, flags, and symbols for the Olympic Games. These symbols make the Olympic events more meaningful and exciting.

The Olympic flag was created in 1914 under the guidance of Baron de Coubertin of France. It was first raised in Alexandria, Egypt. The flag has five colorful rings that represent the world's continents, with the Americas as one continent. The flag’s colors—blue, black, red, yellow, and green—are common on many national flags.

Motto and creed

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius," which means "Faster, Higher, Stronger" in Latin. It was created by Pierre de Coubertin when he started the International Olympic Committee. The words came from his friend Henri Didon, a priest who loved sports. This motto was first used at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The motto was later changed in 2021 to include the word "together," making it "Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter," meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together." Coubertin believed that the most important thing in the Olympics is to take part, just like in life, the struggle is more important than the victory.

Olympic Rings

"Olympic rings" redirects here. For the artistic gymnastics event, see Rings at the Olympics.

The Olympic rings are five colorful, linked rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—on a white background. They were created in 1913 by Coubertin. The rings stand for the unity of the five inhabited continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world at the Olympic Games. The design was Coubertin’s own idea, inspired by earlier symbols and his hope for worldwide connection through sport.

Different types of flags

Pierre de Coubertin created the Olympic flag in 1913. The flag has five linked rings in different colors—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—on a white background. The rings stand for the five parts of the world that join in the Olympic Games. The colors were chosen because they appear in the flags of many nations.

There are special Olympic flags for cities that will host the next Olympic Games. During the closing ceremony, the flag is passed from the current host city to the next host city. This tradition started in Antwerp, Belgium, during the 1920 Summer Olympics. Over the years, different flags have been used for both Summer and Winter Olympics, including the Antwerp Flag, Oslo Flag, Seoul Flag, Rio de Janeiro Flag, and Pyeongchang Flag. For the Youth Olympic Games, special flags have also been made for both summer and winter events.

Flame and torch relay

Main article: Olympic flame

The Olympic torch relay began in 1936. It shows peace and unity. The flame is lit in Greece using sunlight. Then it travels to the host country. People carry the flame, including athletes and leaders. The flame has traveled underwater, in space, and to the North Pole. At the opening ceremony, the flame lights a special cauldron to start the Olympic Games.

Medals and diplomas

Main articles: Olympic medal and Olympic diploma

Olympic medals and diplomas are special awards for athletes at the Olympic Games. Medals are made from gold-plated silver, silver, or bronze. The top three athletes in each event get a medal. Each Olympic Games has its own design for the medals. In Summer Games, one side shows Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, with the Colosseum in Rome. Winter Games medals can have different designs.

Diplomas are given to athletes who finish fourth, fifth, and sixth. Since 1981, they are also given to those who come in seventh and eighth place. These awards show the hard work of all competitors, not just the top three.

Anthems

Main articles: Olympic Hymn and List of Olympic songs and anthems

The "Olympic Hymn", also called the "Olympic Anthem", is played when the Olympic flag is raised. It was composed by Spyridon Samaras with words from a poem by Kostis Palamas. The anthem was first heard at the 1896 Athens Olympic Games and became the official hymn in 1958.

Other famous Olympic anthems and fanfares include music by Richard Strauss for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, Aarre Merikanto for the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics, Leo Arnaud with "Bugler's Dream", Yūji Koseki for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Herbert Rehbein for the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, and more by famous composers like John Williams.

Kotinos

Main article: Olive wreath

The kotinos is an olive branch shaped into a circle. It was first used by Heracles. In the ancient Olympic Games, winners were given an olive wreath from a special tree, instead of gold, silver, or bronze medals. This showed that the games were about honor, not prizes.

Later, athletes also got money with the olive wreath. The kotinos was used again in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where it was given with the gold medal. The olive wreath was also the symbol for those games.

Olympic salute

The Olympic salute is a special way of greeting used in the past at the Olympic Games. It looks like raising the right arm and hand with the palm facing down, similar to an old Roman greeting. This salute was seen on posters for the Paris 1924 and Berlin 1936 games.

The Olympic salute stopped being used after World War II. The French team used it one last time at the opening of the 1948 Winter Olympics.

Mascots

See also: List of Olympic mascots

Since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, the Olympic Games have had mascots. These mascots are often animals from the host area or figures that show local culture. The first famous mascot was Misha, who appeared at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Mishi was seen in ceremonies, TV cartoons, and many products. Today, young people often connect with the Olympics through these friendly mascots.

Intellectual property

The Olympic movement keeps its symbols safe. Many places only allow the Olympic Committee to use the five linked rings and the word "Olympic". The rings cannot be copyrighted because they are very old and simple.

The Olympic Committee has stopped some groups from using their symbols without permission. These groups include the Gay Games, a band called The Hopefuls, and a company called Olympic Paint. Some companies, like Olympic Airlines, changed their logos so they would not use the Olympic rings.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) controls the use of Olympic symbols with international agreements. In 1981, the Nairobi Treaty was made to help protect these symbols from being used without permission for business. Countries that signed this treaty must protect Olympic symbols and share some of the money made from their use with the IOC.