Leave your petty politics and vain quarrels. Recall the past splendour of Greece. Tell me, where are your ancient centuries?
Where are your Olympic Games? Panagiotis Soutsos, Dialogue of the Dead, 1833
The Olympic Games are considered to be the world’s foremost sporting competition with more than 200 nations taking part in a variety of events. Since the inception of the Modern Games 119 years ago, 27 Olympics have been celebrated around the world. The rich history of the Olympics has caused the event to change greatly since the inaugural games held in Athens in 1896. Certain traditions have become iconic and have developed through time to create the complete image of what we now know as the Modern Olympic Games. This book explores eight of the main components that make a complete Olympics, looking at where and when they were first introduced and how they have developed to become what we know today.
1 2 3 4 5
OLYMPIC FLAME & TORCH RELAY
OPENING CEREMONY MASCOTS
OLYMPIC RINGS & FLAGS
MARATHON & TRACK LENGTH
6 7 8
TIMING COUNTRIES & NATIONAL ANTHEMS
2012
2008
2004
2000
1996
1992
1988
1984
1980
1976
1972
1968
1964
1960
1956
1952
1948
1944
1940
1936
1932
1928
1924
1920
1916
1912
1908
1904
1900
1896
MEDALS
The marathon distance wasn’t precisely fixed at first. The 1896 games used the distance of 40km, roughly the distance from Marathon to Athens, the route run by a soldier from the Battle of Marathon to share the news of victory. The precise distance of the race was determined by the course at each games.
1896
The ancient games awarded an olive wreath from a wild olive tree that grew at Olympia. The first games of 1896 instated medals as the prize, but not gold. The winner received a silver medal and an olive branch, and the runner-up received a bronze or copper medal and a laurel branch.
Games of the I Olympiad Athens
1900
The 1900 Olympics coincided with the World’s Fair. Sporting events were spread across six months. Many athletes didn’t know they were competing in the Olympics and the lack of medals furthered this problem. Winners received cups and trophies, this was the only games that didn’t award medals.
Games of the II Olympiad Paris
1904
The gold, silver and bronze medals weren’t used in the first two games. The types of metals represent the first three stages of man in Greek mythology: the Golden Age, when men lived among the gods, the Silver Age, where youth lasted 100 years, and the Bronze Age, the era of heroes.
Games of the III Olympiad St Louis
The first Parade of Nations saw every athlete march into the stadium behind a representative flag bearer. Each national team lined up in front of the royal box, all flags were dipped to salute the King except the USA’s. With two exceptions, the USA have never dipped their flag for a national Leader.
The distance of each marathon varied at every Olympics from 1896 to 1920. The 1908 distance was set based on the desired start and finish position. The race ran from Windsor Castle to the White City Stadium, ending in front of the royal box, a complete distance of 42.195km.
1908
Before 1908, anyone who had the private means to turn up at the venue could put themselves down to compete. This meant that competitors could be individuals, the 1908 Organising Committee decided it would be more efficient to accept contestants registered through national teams.
Games of the IV Olympiad London
The interlocking rings coloured blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background represent the colours that appeared on all competing nation’s flags at the time. The designer, and founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron de Coubertin said ‘here is truly an international symbol’.
The photo finish was first used in the 1912 Stockholm games to decide the winner of the men’s 1500m race. Briton Arnold Jackson won the final by 0.1 seconds in what was acclaimed ‘the greatest race ever run’. At 21 years old he remains the youngest to ever win the men’s 1500m.
1912
Since the gold medal was instated in 1904, it was made of solid gold. With the first world war, and then later the second, the use of solid gold declined rapidly. A solid gold medal was last awarded in 1912. The medals are now required to be at least 92.5% silver with at least six grams of gold.
Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm
‘The IOC has not the right to withdraw the celebration of the Olympic Games from the country to which the celebration was given without consulting that country. The Sixth Olympic Games remain and will remain credited to Berlin, but it is possible that they will not be held. In olden times it happened that it was not possible to celebrate the games but they did not for this reason cease to exist. I consider all that is said and written on this subject now to be useless; the IOC will not allow its hand to be forced.’ Baron Pierre de Coubertin, New York Times, 19 March 1915
1916
they will not be held
Games of the VI Olympiad Berlin
Belgium, who had lost many people during the war, hosted the post war games. The opening ceremony was a very sombre affair, doves were released to mark world peace, Olympic Oaths were read and flags presented. This ceremony started many rituals that continue at all opening ceremonies.
1920
The first games since the Olympic Rings were designed saw the use of the first Olympic Flag. It was supposed to be passed to Paris for use in 1924, but it couldn’t be found after the games so a new one was made. The name ‘Antwerp Flag’ was kept and the flag was used until 1984 when it was retired.
Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp
Marathon distances had varied after the 1908 Olympics, in 1921 the International Association of Athletics Federation set an official distance so that timings and records were far more accurate. The distance was set directly from the route used in London in 1908 and remains 42.195km.
1924
Starting with the 1924 Games, the winner’s national anthem is played as their flag is hoisted in celebration. Some countries have to create a shortened version of their anthem as it can’t be longer than 80 seconds. A nation may choose to have different music played instead of their national anthem.
Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris
The Amsterdam games saw the return of the Olympic Flame, it was used in the Ancient Games to commemorate the theft of fire from the Greek God Zeus, and was lit in the stadium and the temple of Zeus and Hera. In 1928 the flame was lit on top of the Marathon Tower of the Olympic Stadium. For the first time Greek athletes enter the Parade of Nations before every other country, to represent Greece’s historical status as creator of the games. The other nations follow in the alphabetical order of the native language, with the host country being the final to enter the stadium.
1928
In previous years the athletics track had varied in length from 333.33m in 1896 to 536.45m in 1904 and was often based on imperial distances (536.45m is a third of a mile) or around the design of the stadium. The 400m length is loosely based on a quarter-mile or 440 yards which is exactly 402.34m.
Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam
1932
Previously, all timing was done by the judges with their own stopwatches and timing devices. The 1932 games were the first Olympics where the timing was consistent and automatic. Omega provided identical time keeping devices to each judge in order to improve accuracy and reliability between heats.
Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles
Although the flame had already been used it was not until the Berlin games that there was a torch relay from Greece to the stadium. New roads were built from Olympia, where the torch had been lit by sunlight. It then travelled through seven countries and was carried by over 3000 torch bearers.
1936
The Olympic rings’ popularity and widespread use came with the first torch relay. A milestone with the Olympic rings was placed in Delphi at the site of an old stadium, and the torch was carried from there to Berlin. The symbol was used heavily in Nazi images to glorify the Third Reich.
Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin
‘Instead of building up youth and goodwill among nations, we see now but death to the young and bitter struggle between the nations.’ Chenting T. Wang, Chinese IOC Member
COUNT DE BAILLET-LATOUR C/O
JULY 16TH 1938
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE WE REGRET THAT, OWING TO PROTRACTED HOSTILITIES WITH NO
‘In accordance with the Fundamental Principle No. 2* of the Olympic Charter the XII Olympiad will not be celebrated.’ IOC announcement, 6 May 1940
PROSPECT OF IMMEDIATE PEACE, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE TOKYO AND SAPPORO GAMES. WE INTEND TO APPLY FOR 1944 GAMES. THE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE ARE UNANIMOUS IN THEIR APPRECIATION OF YOUR UNFAILING KINDNESS. TOKUGAWA, SOYESHIMA.
1944
1940
*An Olympiad need not be celebrated but neither the order nor the intervals can be altered. The International Olympiads are counted as beginning from the first Olympiad of the modern era celebrated at Athens in 1896.
Games of the XII–XIII Olympiad Tokyo, London
1948
An Omega Fully Automated Timing device was used at the 1948 Olympics. It was set off by a starting gun and stopped by a photocell. This was the first time that the start and finish of a race was controlled by one complete system, the margin for error was lowered and accuracy improved.
Games of the XIV Olympiad London
1960
1956
1952
Games of the XV–XVII Olympiad Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome
1964
The Tokyo games were the first to be held in Asia, the theme was the scientific games, appropriately they used a new timing system that used quartz crystals to increase accuracy. Results were accurate to 1/100th of a second and known to judges and crowds much quicker than before.
Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo
1968
The winter games in Grenoble, France saw the first ever Olympic Mascot. Technically an unofficial mascot, the stylised skiing character started a tradition of every future games having a mascot. The character called Schuss was named after a straight downhill ski run at speed.
Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City
‘Where joyous freedom reigned a short time ago powerlessness and shock characterise the faces of the people. Dumbfounded, we stand before a truly infamous crime. In deepest mourning, we bow before the victims of the assault. Our sympathy extends to their kin and to the whole people of Israel. This attack strikes all of us.’ Gustav Heinemann, The President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
We bow before the victims Berger, David Halfin, Elizer Friedmann, Zeev Gotfreund, Josef Kahat, Schur Romano, Josef Shapira, Arnitzur Slavin, Mark Spitzer, Andre Springer, Jacob Weinberg, Moshe
‘They have, with murder, broken into the beautiful and great celebration of the peoples of the earth, a celebration which values peace.’
1972
Willi Daume, The President of the Organising Committee.
Games of the XX Olympiad Munich
1976
In 1976 the flame was lit in Olympia and progressed to Athens where it was placed in front of a sensor that detects ionised particles and was sent via radio signal to Ottawa. The signal activated a laser beam that recreated the flame in Canada before it finished its journey from Ottawa to Montreal.
Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal
The first paralympic games were held in 1960 but they didn’t have a mascot until the 1980 games of Arnhem, Netherlands. The mascot was chosen from a competition held by a national broadcasting company, the winning entry was a pair of cartoon squirrels that were then printed on memorabilia.
The 1980 Games in Moscow, were boycotted by many countries to protest against Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan. 65 countries did not attend and of those that did several chose to use the Olympic Hymn and Olympic Flag instead of their own National Anthem and flag.
1980
The Moscow games were the third summer games to have an official Olympic mascot but the first mascot to achieve large-scale commercial success. The Bear Cub, named Misha, was designed by children’s books illustrator Victor Chizhikov. The mascot had its own short film and television series.
Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow
1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles
1988
The 1988 opening ceremony released the traditional flock of doves as a symbol of world peace, but a number were burned alive when they perched on the Olympic flame which was lit shortly after. The practice was replaced with a symbolic release, for example bicyclists with dove wings in 2012.
Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul
1992
A total of 12 countries from the former Soviet Republics competed under the name Unified Team and used the Olympic flag to represent them. They had 475 competitors and finished top of the medal table with 112 medals. They chose to use Ode to Joy as their national anthem whenever they won.
Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona
1996 Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta
2000
In 1997 Hal Haig Prieste, a member of the US Olympic team in the 1920 games, admitted that he had the original Antwerp Flag in his suitcase. He’d climbed the flagpole and stole it at the end of the games. At 103 years old he returned the flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney games.
Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney
2004
The Olympics returned to Athens in 2004 for the first time since 1896. To mark this occasion the first global torch relay was held, traveling from Olympia to Athens via every previous host city and other internationally important cities. It was transported between countries by a Boeing 747 called Zeus.
Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens
2008 Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing
2012
The London 2012 Games were the first Summer games where the Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled together. The mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville were named after Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville where games that were precursors to the Olympics and Paralympics were held.
Games of the XXX Olympiad London
‘But what we have begun will not stop now. The spirit of these Olympic Games will inspire a generation.’ Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE London 2012 Closing Ceremony