Stolen from Audi just after the turn of the century, the corrupt organization known as the IOC decided that all circles and all colors should belong to athletes. In addition, because of Hitler’s influence, they stripped the car maker of their sponsorship and awarded it to BMW. That set Audi straight down the road to success.
Okay. I made that up.
As a young lad, growing up on the farm in West Virginia, I remember hearing about the Olympics on the radio. They were talking about a sport called fencing. I was quite certain based on my ability to keep my animals contained that I could compete in this sport. I woke up early and rode the acreage on my horse. I made sure when there was an opening, I fixed it quickly. When I told my father about my dream, he told me to take a stab at it.
Okay, I made that up too. What do you want from me? It’s Monday, mid-August.
The five rings represent the five continents. They are interlaced to show the universality of Olympism and the meeting of the athletes of the world during the Olympic Games. On the Olympic flag, the rings appear on a white background. Combined in this way, the six colors of the flag (blue, yellow, black, green, red and white) represent all nations. It is a misconception, therefore, to believe that each of the colors corresponds to a certain continent. (Asia, Africa, The America’s, Europe & Austrailia).
Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, explains the meaning of the flag: “The Olympic flag […] has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the center: 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.
Even though Pierre de Coubertin intended the Olympic Games to be an international event from the time of their reestablishment in 1896 in Athens (Greece), it was only at the 1912 Games in Stockholm (Sweden) that, for the first time, the participants came from all five continents. One year later, in 1913, the five rings appeared at the top of a letter written by Pierre de Coubertin. He drew the rings and colored them in by hand. It was also Coubertin who had the idea for the Olympic flag. He presented the rings and flag in June 1914 in Paris at the Olympic Congress. The First World War prevented the Games from being celebrated in 1916 in Berlin (Germany) as planned. It was not until 1920 in Antwerp (Belgium) that the flag and its five rings could be seen flying in an Olympic stadium. The universality conveyed by the symbol and the flag was a new idea at the beginning of the 20th century. Nationalism was very strong and tension between certain countries was high. It was in this climate, however, that Coubertin proposed the symbol of the rings which aimed to encourage world unity.
And now you know.
In more interesting news from this years games…..
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