Olympic flag
The flag of the Olympic Games has five interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black, green, and red) on a white ground. The rings represent the five parts of the world that were joined together in the Olympic movement: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. The motto of the Olympic Games is "Citius, altius, fortius" (meaning "Faster, higher, stronger").
The Ancient Olympics:
The ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games in the year 776 BC, and had only one event. Every four years, for 1,170 years, the Greeks held an Olympics, which continued to grow and change. The Olympic Games were banned by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II in the year AD 394.
History of the Olympics Flag:
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (1863-1937), a French educator and sportsman, revived the Olympic Games in 1896. He designed the flag of the Olympics in 1913-1914.
The flag was first used in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. The Olympic flag is paraded during the opening observance of each Olympic Games. At the end of an Olympics, the mayor of the host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. The flag will remain in the town hall of the next host-city until the next Olympic Games, four years later.
The Olympic symbols are the icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some — such as the flame, fanfare, and theme — are more prevalent during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year.
Flag
The Olympic flag has the emblem: "The Olympic flag [...] has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red [...] This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colors are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time." (1931) Textes choisis II, p.470.
Use of the Olympic flag
An Olympic flag is raised during the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games, and lowered during the closing ceremonies. A second flag is used for the Olympic Oath. Special flags are kept in the city halls of cities organizing the Olympic Games. At the closing ceremonies of each Olympic Games, the mayor of the city that organized the Games returns the flag to the president of the IOC, who then passes it on to the mayor of the next city to host the Olympic Games. (This ceremony is known as the "Antwerp Ceremony" because it started there). There are three such flags, differing from all other copies in that they have a Five-colored fringe around the flag, and are tied with five colored ribbons to a flagstaff.
Specific flags
Antwerp flag
Was presented to the IOC at the 1920 Summer Olympics by the city of Antwerp, Belgium, and at the Closing Ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, was passed on to the next organizing city of the Summer Olympics until the Games of Seoul 1988 when it was retired. The Antwerp Flag is now on display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Seoul flag
Was presented to the IOC at the 1988 Summer Olympics by the city of Seoul, South Korea, and is passed on to the next organizing city of the Summer Olympics.