Today is the official opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. One of the most well-known symbols is the five colored rings on the flag. But what do the Olympic rings mean and why did you choose the corresponding colors?
When you think of the Olympic Games, you inevitably have the five circles in mind. Three rings at the top, two rings at the bottom, all different colors and connected to each other. What is the meaning of the circles?
Olympic rings: explanation of the colors and the symbol
The six colors visible are the colors used on all national flags of the world.
- The symbol was designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913.
- The five intertwined rings are from left to right in following colors kept: blue, black, red (above) as well as yellow and green (below).
- The background is not transparent like other characters, but white. The white color is part of the meaning of the Olympic rings.
- The sign’s inventor, de Coubertin, refers to each ring as a continent.
- Every country in the world should therefore find itself in the sign. The individual colored rings are therefore not assigned to any specific continent.
- The rings should therefore point to the cohesion and the Olympic peace of the five continents.
- The first time the symbol was with the Olympic Games 1920 seen in Antwerp. The first use was already planned for the 1916 Olympic Games in Berlin, but the sporting event was not held due to the First World War.
What do the Olympic rings mean?
The intertwined rings show the cohesion of the continents, which should be the focus of the Olympic Games alongside the sporting activities. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the NOC (National Olympic Committee) own the image rights to the Olympic rings. The rings may therefore not be used for commercial purposes or the like without permission, but use in works reporting on the Olympic Games is permitted.