Olympic's Facts

Recently you might have enjoyed the Beijing 2008 Olympic series of games. Here are some interesting Olympic's Facts for your reading...

• Around 1913, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, The founder of the Modern Olympics designed the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Flag made its debut at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.


• Background Color of the Olympic Flag white. It is plain white, with no border, and five rings in the center. The plain white background is symbolic of peace throughout the games.


• The five colors of the rings on the Olympic Flag are blue, yellow, black, red, and green. Three rings are across the top, and two are along the bottom. From left to right are blue, black and red across the top with yellow and green along the bottom. Yellow and green colors may be found on most flags of the world.


• The five interlinked Olympic rings on the Flag represents continents & continent.At the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. It rests at the town hall of the next host-city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games.


• The Olympic Torch Relay symbolizes the passing of the Olympic traditions from one generation to the next. The Torch Relay began in the Ancient Olympics and was revived at the 1936 Berlin Games. The torch was lit by the sun's rays at Olympia and carried by relay to the host-city of the Games. The Olympic Flame symbolises purity, the endeavor for perfection and the struggle for victory, as well as representing peace and friendship.
  
• Motto of the Olympic is 'Citius, Altius, Fortius'. 'Swifter, Higher, Stronger'. The other three are all parts of the Olympic Creed.


• At the start of each Olympics, every athlete promises to play fairly and obey all of the Olympic rules. One athlete from the host country takes the Oath on behalf of all athletes. Even Olympic officials takes the Oath While holding a corner of the Olympic Flag, one official from the host country repeats an oath, similiar to that of the athletes, on behalf of all the officials.


• Greece is first in line during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations. The host city is last, and the others are in alphabetical order.


• During the Opening Ceremony, doves are released that symbolizes Peace.


• In the Closing Parade, the athletes are not separated into national teams as they enter the stadium. This is to symbolize the unity and friendship of the Games. It is a tradition which started at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. John Ian Wing, a 17 year old Australian boy of Chinese origin, wrote to the Games organisers a few days before the closing - his idea was adopted, and gave birth to another Olympic tradition.