What does the Olympic Games mean? The emblem of the Olympic Games is a ring. Symbol of the Olympic Games - Rings

Agree, we are accustomed to take certain events as a matter of course, not really thinking about the history of their occurrence, nor about the characteristics.

Perhaps, to similar events of a world scale it is necessary to carry and Olympiad. But every time sports of this kind attract attention not even hundreds, but hundreds of thousands of dedicated sports fans around the world.

Incredibly, they have been held for 118 years, and now both fire and rings of the Olympic Games are already habitually perceived.

What do these symbols mean and why did they become cultic? Perhaps not every modern person can answer this question.

Section 1. Olympics today

In general, the Olympic Games should be understood as an international sports event in which thousands of athletes from different countries compete.

There are summer and winter Olympic games, held alternately every two years. That is, it can be calculated theoretically that events of such a plan are arranged only in even-numbered years. And if in 2014 the Olympics was winter, then the next, already summer, will be held in 2016. By the way, according to the decision of the special commission, it is entrusted to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Section 2. The five rings of the Olympic Games as the main symbol of the competition

White flag with characteristic symbolism ... At some point, as if by magic, it appears everywhere: on buildings, on sports and everyday clothes, interior items and even on children's toys.

The snow-white background symbolizes peace throughout the world. And this is not by chance, because for a long time during the Olympics on the whole planet, military actions and conflicts have ceased and ceased.

The number and color of the rings of the Olympic Games placed on the flag are also very thought out. They are painted in yellow, blue, black, red and green.

First of all, we note that the rings of the Olympic Games symbolize the five continents of the planet: America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Why is it so, because the globe consists of six? The fact is that Antarctica and the Arctic, in view of their uninhabited nature, were not taken into account in the development of the symbol.

Oh these rings of the Olympic Games! What they mean, was invented a little later. To date, even schoolchildren can tell that each part of the world is correlated with its specific color. Europe corresponds to blue color, Africa - black, America - red, Asia - yellow, Oceania - green.

Section 3. Emblem of the Olympic Games: rings and the history of their occurrence

Developed this symbolic sign in 1912, Pierre de Coubertin - the founder of the modern Olympic Games. They adopted the emblem in 1914, although it should be noted that it debuted much later, only in 1920, at the Olympics in Belgium. Initially, it was planned that the world would see the flag decorated with a new symbol in 1916, but World War I prevented major sports competitions from taking place .

It is hardly worth mentioning that immediately after its appearance the rings fell in love and became an integral attribute of the Olympics. In subsequent years, they were used to create various logos related to the Games.

Section 4. Has the symbol been modernized?

Strange as it may seem, but yes. And the biggest changes Olympic rings have undergone at the Olympics in 1936, held in the German capital Berlin.

Firstly, the rings were not arranged as usual in two rows, but in one. Their location is slightly similar to the traditional one due to the fact that the first, third and fifth of them were elevated in comparison with the second and fourth.

Secondly, both the rings and the eagle holding them were executed in black and white. In subsequent years, a monochrome version of the logo of the Olympic Games was used quite often, but the layout did not change anymore.

In 1960, in Italy, the artists symbol of the Olympic Games - the rings - made voluminous. It was made in gray. The rings were located under a Roman wolf, which, according to legend, nurtured Romulus and Remus, who founded Rome. By the way, it was in that year that a new tradition was introduced - to hang medals around the neck of athletes.

Mexicans, who hosted the Games in 1968, approached the creation of the Olympic logo no less creative. This time, as a symbol of the Olympic Games, the rings were inscribed in the inscription "Mexico-68" and highlighted in color. The lower rings were part of the figure 68.

Section 5. The Unexpected Ring of the Sochi Olympics

But not everything is as smooth as it might seem at first glance. The rings of the Olympic Games, which mean the five inhabited continents of the planet, did not always work out well. Something was condemned, something was welcomed, and there was something that went down in history.

A small technical incident with the rings occurred at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2014 in Sochi (Russia).

According to the plan during the show, the big snowflakes hanging over the stadium "Fisht", were to be transformed into Olympic rings. But only four were revealed. One ring remained to be a snowflake.

However, Russian viewers did not see this hitch, as the organizers realized a little before the others what was happening, and they shot the footage from the rehearsal.

During the closing of the Olympic Games, this incident with an undisclosed ring was ironically beaten. At the beginning of the ceremony, the participants of the show formed a composition with five rings and one snowflake, which in a few seconds quickly opened.

Section 6. Other symbols of the Olympics

It should be noted that, in addition to the official flag and rings, there are also other symbols of the Olympics.

• Fire. The tradition of lighting a torch was taken by Coubertin in 1912 from the ancient Greeks. The Olympic flame is a symbol of purity, a struggle for victory and self-improvement. For the first time it was lit in 1928. Relay for the transfer of the torch to the city where the game is held began to be held since 1936.
• Medals. For the first place the athlete is awarded a gold medal, for the second - silver, for the third - bronze. They are awarded to the winners after the competitions at a special ceremony.
• The motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" can be translated into Russian as "Faster, higher, stronger". For the first time these words were said by the priest Henri Martin Didon during the opening of the sports competitions in the college. Coubertin thought that this phrase perfectly reflects the essence of the Olympic Games.
• An oath according to which participants of the Games must respect and observe the established rules. Its text was written by Pierre de Coubertin and first sounded in 1920.
• The Olympic principle was also defined by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896. It says that in the Olympic Games, as in life, the main thing is not to win, but to participate.
• The opening ceremony of the games is the most solemn part. On it the parade of sportsmen of all countries participating in competitions passes. The first is the team of Greece, then the teams of countries, respectively, the alphabet, and the last goes the team of the country organizing the Games.

Section 7. Interesting facts about the Olympic Games

According to the decision of the International Olympic Committee, in gold medals of pure gold in the form of a cover, the minimum should contain 6 grams.

On the logos of the Olympic Games, a year is usually written with four or two figures (Athens-2004 or Barcelona-92). In the history of the Games, only once in 1960 in Rome, the year was written in five letters (MCMLX).

During the Great Depression in 1932, the Brazilian government did not find the money to send its delegation to the Olympic Games taking place in Los Angeles. As a result, 82 Brazilian athletes were put on the ship with coffee, so that they could bring them to America with the proceeds. When the ship arrived at the port of San Pedro, its executives demanded that one dollar be paid for each person ashore. From the ship, only those who had a chance to get a medal were let down. Then he went to San Francisco to sell coffee and was able to land a few more athletes, but 15 athletes returned back to Brazil.

In 1956, the Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, which was unable to host some sports. Australian quarantine regulations prohibited the importation of horses, and horse competitions had to be held in Stockholm.

Section 8. Let's look into the future

As already reported above, the next Olympic Games will be held in Brazil, in the world famous city-festival of Rio de Janeiro.

This capital of carnivals can not only surprise. It literally amazes every traveler, which means that one should not doubt that the 2016 Olympics will be another stunning event.

Whether the changes in the ring of the Olympic Games will change, which means the unity of the planet, it is still unknown, since such details are usually a secret part of the opening ceremony.