Olympic symbols

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses special icons, flags, and symbols to represent and enhance the Olympic Games. These symbols help make the Olympic events more meaningful and exciting for everyone who watches and participates.

The Olympic flag was created in 1914 under the guidance of Baron de Coubertin of France. It was first raised in Alexandria, Egypt, at the 1914 Pan-Egyptian Games. The flag features five colorful rings that represent the inhabited continents of the world, with the Americas considered as one continent. The flag’s colors—blue, black, red, yellow, and green—are chosen because they are common on many national flags around the globe.

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 also believed that the most important thing in the Olympics is not to win but 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. Created in 1913 by Coubertin, they stand for the unity of the five inhabited continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world at the Olympic Games. Though some later stories linked the rings to ancient Greece, 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 shows five linked rings in different colors—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—on a white background. These rings stand for the five parts of the world that take part in the Olympic Games. The colors were chosen because they appear in the flags of many nations.

There are special Olympic flags used 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 tradition of the Olympic torch relay began in 1936 at the Berlin Games. Today, it represents peace and unity. The flame is lit in Greece using sunlight and then travels to the host country, carried by athletes, leaders, and ordinary people. It has even traveled underwater, in space, and to the North Pole. Finally, during the opening ceremony, the flame lights a special cauldron in the stadium to mark the start of the Olympic Games.

Medals and diplomas

Main articles: Olympic medal and Olympic diploma

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

Diplomas are awards given to athletes who finish in fourth, fifth, and sixth place, and since 1981, also to those who come in seventh and eighth. These awards recognize 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 performed at the 1896 Athens Olympic Games but became the official hymn in 1958.

Other famous Olympic anthems and fanfares include compositions 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 many more by famous composers like John Williams.

Kotinos

Main article: Olive wreath

The kotinos is an olive branch made into a circle, introduced by Heracles. In the ancient Olympic Games, winners were crowned with an olive wreath from a sacred tree, instead of receiving gold, silver, or bronze medals. This tradition showed that the games were about honor, not prizes.

Later, athletes also received money along with the olive wreath. The kotinos tradition was used again in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where it was given along with the gold medal. The olive wreath was also chosen as the emblem for those games.

Olympic salute

The Olympic salute is a special way of greeting used in the past during 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 because it looked too much like a salute used by a group during that time. 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 featured a mascot. These mascots are often animals from the host area or human figures that reflect the local culture. The first famous mascot was Misha, who appeared at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Misha 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 carefully protects its symbols. Many places give it exclusive rights to use the five linked rings and the word "Olympic". The rings cannot be copyrighted because they were created too long ago and are too simple.

The Olympic Committee has taken action against groups using their symbols without permission. Examples include the Gay Games, a band called The Hopefuls, and a company called Olympic Paint. Some companies, like Olympic Airlines, had to change their logos to avoid using the Olympic rings.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) controls the use of Olympic symbols through international agreements. In 1981, the Nairobi Treaty was created to help protect these symbols from unauthorized commercial use. Countries that signed this treaty must protect Olympic symbols and share some of the money made from their use with the IOC.