Olympics
The Olympic Games were held for the first time by the Greeks in 776BC on Mount Olympus, in honour of the Greek God, Zeus. They were stopped by a royal order of the Roman Emperor Theodosius in AD 394.
These games were revived in 1984 by the efforts of a French Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the first modern Olympic Games were started in Athens the capital of Greece on 6th April 1986.
Separate winter Olympics Games began in 1924. Women have been participating in the Olympics since 1912. The Olympic Games are Organised after every four years.
Governing Body
In 1984, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Committee to govern the Olympic Movement, National Olympic Committees and Committees for each specific game.
The head office of International Olympic Committee is at Lausanne Switzerland. International Sports Federation determines the qualification rules for each Olympic. International Olympic Committee (IOC) chooses the host city and the games to be contested and funding is made by the Host City.
Olympic Symbol
Olympic Symbol contains five rings linked together to represent the sporting friendship of all people. Each ring is of a different colour i:e blue, yellow, black, green and red.
The rings represent five continents:
- Blue for Europe
- Yellow for Asia
- Black for Africa
- Green for Australia
- Red for America
Olympic Flag
The Olympic Flag was created in 1913 at the suggestion of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. It began in Paris in 1942, but it was raised over Olympic stadium for the first time at the Antwerp games in Belgium in 1920.
There is also a second Olympic flag, which is used for the winter games. These flags are made of white silk and contain five intertwined rings of the Olympic Symbol.
At least one of the five ring colours is found on the flag of every country. The Flag is 3m long and 2m wide. The Emblem placed in the centre is 2.06m by 60 cm.
Olympic Motto
The Olympic motto is ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’, which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, and Stronger”. It was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin upon the creation of the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
It was composed by Henri Didon, a Dominican priest who was an athletics enthusiast.
Olympic Mascot
The Olympic Mascot is/are character, usually an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage. The first major mascot in the Olympic Games was Misha in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame symbolises the continuity between ancient and modern games. It was ceremonially lighted and burned in a giant torch for the first time at the Amsterdam Games in 1928.
The modern tradition of moving the Olympic Flame via a relay system from Greece to the Olympic venue began with the Berlin Games in 1936. Months before the Games are held, the Olympic Flame is lit on a torch, with the rays of the Sun concentrated by a parabolic reflector, at the site of the Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece.
The torch is then taken out of Greece, most often to be taken around the country or continent where the Games are held. The Olympic torch is carried by athletes, leaders, celebrities, and ordinary people alike, and at times in unusual conditions, such as being electronically transmitted via satellite for Montreal 1976, submerged underwater without being extinguished for Sydney 2000, or in space and at the North Pole for Sochi 2014. On the final day of the torch relay, the day of the Opening Ceremony, the Flame reaches the main stadium and is used to light a cauldron situated in a prominent part of the venue to signify the beginning of the Games.
Olympic Medals
Olympic champions are rewarded with medals and certificate. The winning sports person receives a Gold Medal. The medals are made of gold-plated silver commonly described as gold medals, silver, or bronze, and awarded to the top 3 finishers in a particular event. For each Olympic Games, the reverse side as well as the labels for each Olympiad changes, reflecting the host of the games.
