The birthplace of the Olympic Games is the sanctuary of the ancient Greeks - Olympia. It is located in the west of the Peloponnese peninsula. This place on the banks of the Alpheus River, right at the foot of the sacred Mount Kronos, is still the place where the eternal flame burns, from which the fire of the Olympic Games is lit from time to time and the torch relay starts.
The tradition of holding such sports competitions was revived at the end of the nineteenth century by the French Baron de Coubertin. He was a famous public figure of that era. Since then, the Olympic Games have been held every 4 years. And since 1924, they began to organize winter competitions.
Olympic symbols
Together with the revival of the Olympic tradition, the symbols corresponding to it appeared: the flag, slogan, anthem, medals, talismans, emblem, etc. All of them were created to promote this sporting idea around the world. By the way, the official emblem of the Olympic Games is five colored rings intertwined in such a way that two rows are formed from them. The upper one consists of three rings, and the lower one, of course, of two.
Colors of the Olympic rings
When mentioning the Olympics, everyone first of all remembers the emblem - woven rings of blue, black, scarlet, yellow and green, depicted on a white background. However, not everyone knows the exact meaning of the colors of the Olympic rings. There are several versions. Each of them is not devoid of logic and can claim to be considered correct. Below are some of them.
- According to this version, the colors of the Olympic rings symbolize the continents. That is, this suggests that peoples from all over the world, or rather from all parts of the world, except Antarctica, can become participants in these games. Let's imagine what shades correspond to each of the continents? It turns out? And now let's check if you were able to orient yourself correctly. So what color are the Olympic rings? Europe is blue, America is red, Africa is black, Australia is green and Asia is yellow.
- Another version is associated with the name of the famous psychologist C. Jung. He is credited not only with the idea explaining the choice of a particular color, but also with the creation of the symbolism itself. According to this version, Jung, being an expert in Chinese philosophy, proposed rings as an emblem - symbols of greatness and energy. The choice of the number of rings was associated with five different energies (wood, water, metal, fire and earth) that are spoken of in Chinese philosophy. In addition, Jung in 1912 proposed the idea of pentathlon, that is, it was believed that each of the participants in the competition should master the following sports: swimming, jumping, fencing, running and shooting. ColorsOlympic rings, according to this theory, correspond to each of these sports, as well as one of the above five energies. As a result, the following chains were obtained: swimming-water-blue, jumping-tree-green, running-ground-yellow, fencing-fire-red, shooting-metal-black.
- The third version is like an addition to the first. It is believed that the colors of the Olympic rings are all those shades that the flags of all countries of the world contain. Again, this means that athletes from all over the world, without exception, can participate.
Agree that all versions are interesting, but it doesn't matter which one is correct. The main thing is that these games unite all the peoples of the world. And let their representatives fight only in sports stadiums, and there will always be peace on our planet.
