Olympic ceremonies

Ancient Games in Greece from 776 BC e. by. 393 n. e., ^[2] give the first examples of Olympic ceremonies. Victory celebrations, elements of which are present in modern Olympics when awarded with medals and closing ceremonies, were often accompanied by elaborate celebrations that included a feast, songs, and poetry reading. Wealthy winners could have arranged more extravagant holidays. ^[3] The winners were awarded an olive wreath or crown made of a special tree in Olympia by a boy specially selected for this purpose with the help of a golden sickle. ^[3] The solemn oath of the victors and the performance of the rite of sacrifice to the various gods to whom they were grateful ended the celebrations. ^[3]

There is evidence of dramatic changes in the format of the games of antiquity over 12 centuries regarding celebrations. As a result, by about the 77th Olympiad, a standard program of 18 species had been created. ^[4] In order to open the games in Ancient Greece, the organizers held a festival of opening. This was followed by a ceremony during which athletes took the oath of sportsmanship. The first competition, an art competition of trumpeters and heralds, closed the opening ceremony. ^[four]

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games represents the official start of the Olympic Games. In recent years, at the Olympic Games, sporting events begin even before the opening ceremony. For example, a football tournament for men and women at the 2008 Summer Olympics began two days before the opening ceremony. ^{[5] The} 2014 Winter Olympics were the first winter games to be held prior to the opening ceremony. ^[6]

In accordance with the Olympic Charter, there are various elements surrounding the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. ^{[7] [8]} Most of these rituals were canonized at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. ^[9]

Art Program

An art program is what creates a peculiar element of each ceremony. ^[10] Originally Coubertin saw the modern Olympic Games as sports competitions and creative achievements. ^[11] As the modern Olympic Games have become a celebration of sports, it is at the opening ceremonies that you can see most of Coubertin's ideals. Opening ceremonies are an important ritual of the Olympic Games, which present a wide range of functions, such as similar qualities and messages that connect local and global issues, as well as cultural similarities in the same areas. ^{[12] The} art program of the ceremonies allows the host country to comprehensively demonstrate its past and future. ^[12] Ceremonies usually begin by raising the flag of the host country and performing the national anthem. ^{[7] [8]} The host country then demonstrates the artistic performances of the music, singing, dance and theater of its culture, history and current motto of the Olympic Games. ^[9] Since the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, art presentations have continued to grow in scale and complexity. For example, the opening ceremony at the Beijing Games was reportedly worth $ 100 million, with a significant portion of the expenses being in the artistic part of the ceremony. ^[13]

Parade of Nations

The traditional part of the ceremonies begins with the "Parade of Nations", during which most of the participants march through the stadium, country after country. Athletes are not required to attend the opening ceremonies. Since some of the first competitions of the Games may begin the day before or the day after the ceremony, many athletes participating in these competitions refuse to participate.

At the opening, each host country chooses its own theme. During the Parade of Nations, the goal of the host country is to present its cultural identity and show the world its place in society. For example, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the theme was “unity”. On May 12, 2008, a devastating earthquake erupted in Sichuan. As the host country, China wanted to remember this tragic event when Yao Ming , the legend of Chinese basketball, went hand in hand with Lin Hao, a nine-year-old boy who saved several classmates during the earthquake. ^[12]

Each delegation is led by a sign with the name of its country and its national flag. ^{[7] [8]} Traditionally (starting from the 1928 Summer Olympics), Greece always goes first and leads the parade because of its historical status as the progenitor of the Olympics, and the host country completes the parade of athletes. ^{[9] [14]} All other participating countries go after Greece to the host country, depending on the language chosen by the organizing committee for these games, which is usually the dominant language in the host city area. Teams declare the name of each country in English, French and the dominant language in the area of ​​the host city, if neither English nor French is the dominant language.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Greek flag led the parade, while the Greek team passed last as the host country; and Saint Lucia came first (Αγία Λουκία in Greek ). In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spanish and Catalan were the official languages ​​of the games, but due to the political sensitivity associated with the use of the Catalan language, the countries followed the French alphabet. For unknown reasons, in all three Games held in Japan, countries went in alphabetical order in the English alphabet instead of Japanese characters . At the 2008 Summer Olympics, teams ranked by the number of strokes in the Chinese translation of the name of the country. ^[15] At the 2010 Winter Olympics, teams came out in English alphabetical order, although both official languages ​​of the Games were spoken in Canada because English is the more dominant of the two in Vancouver and the province of British Columbia where it is located. At the 1980 Summer Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics , countries walked in alphabetical order according to the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the basis of the Russian language.

Traditional Events

After all the countries have passed with a speech, the President of the Organizing Committee and then the President of the IOC make a speech. At the end of his speech, he represents the representative or head of state of the host country, who officially announces the opening of the Games. Despite the fact that the Games were awarded to a specific city, and not to the country as a whole, the Olympic Charter currently requires that a person be the head of state of the host country. ^[16] However, there have been many cases where someone other than the head of state of the host country opened the Games. The first time it was at the Games of the II Olympiad in Paris in 1900, then the opening ceremony was not so they were held as part of the World Fair of 1900. There are only five examples from the United States in which the Games were not opened by the head of state. ^[17]

The Olympic Charter provides ^[16] that the person designated to open the Games must do so by pronouncing one of the following more appropriate lines:

• If at the Olympics Games (Summer Olympics): I announce the Games [name of the host city] celebrating the [serial number of the Olympics] Olympics of the modern era.
• If at the Winter Games: I announce the [serial number] Olympic Winter Games [host city name].

Until 1936, a spokesman for the opening often gave a short welcoming speech before declaring the Games open. However, since 1936, when Adolf Hitler opened both the Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin , the discoverers began to use the standard formula. In the last Winter Games, there is a tendency to use the first version instead of the second, which happened at the winter games both in 2002 and in 2010 . ^[18] There were four more exceptions to the rule:

• In 1976, Elizabeth II , as Queen of Canada , opened the Montreal Olympic Games (first in French, then in English):

I declare open the 1976 Olympics, marking the 21st Olympiad of the modern era. ^[nineteen]

• In 1984, US President Ronald Reagan opened the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles :

Celebrating the XXIII Olympiad of the modern era, I declare open the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. ^[20]

• In 2002, US President George W. Bush opened the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics , which took place five months after the September 11 attacks :

On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation ... then the standard discovery formula followed.

• In 2012, Elizabeth II, as the Queen of the United Kingdom , opened the London Summer Olympics in the same manner in English, making it the second time she opened the Games. ^[21]

• In 2016, the acting president of Brazil, Michelle Temer, opened the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro , contrary to usual practice, he was not represented both at the beginning of the ceremony and at the end of the speech of President Bach:

After this beautiful show, I declare open the Olympic Games in Rio, celebrating the XXXI Olympiad of the modern era. ^[22]

Then, the Olympic flag is horizontally placed (from the 1960 Summer Olympics ) at the stadium and rises, while the Olympic anthem is performed. The Olympic Charter states that the Olympic flag should “evolve throughout the Olympic Games on a flagpole prominently in the main stadium.” ^[16] In most Games, the flag was taken to the stadium by prominent athletes of the host country, but in 2012 it was taken out by an international group of athletes and non-athletes known for propagating Olympic values, including Muhammad Ali as a symbolic standard bearer.

Then, standard-bearers of all countries are located around the rostrum, where one athlete from the host country (from the Summer Olympics of 1920) and one judge of the host country (from the Summer Olympics of 1972) pronounce the Olympic oath , stating that they will compete and judge in accordance with the rules of their respective sport. ^[16] Since the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, continuing with the traditions that began at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics , a trainer from the host country also pronounces the Olympic oath. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, three oaths were pronounced at the same time as a single oath, where one athlete, referee and coach recited their part of the oath before the athlete finished it.

Olympic flame

And finally, the torch is brought into the stadium , transferred from one relay participant to another, until it reaches the last participant, often a well-known athlete from the host country, who lights a fire in the bowl of the stadium. ^{[7] [8]} In accordance with the IOC rules, the lighting of the Olympic flame must be witnessed by those present at the opening ceremony, which means that it must take place in the same place where the ceremony takes place. Another IOC rule states that the Olympic flame must be visible from outside the stadium to all residents of the host city. This became apparent during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Games . The venue for the ceremony was BC Place , which at that time was an indoor stadium. Since there was no way for the cup to be visible from the outside and also to see it in the stadium, two cups were used for the Olympic flame. To light the Olympic flame inside the stadium for the first time, the organizers chose three-time speed skating Katrion Lemey-Doan , Canadian Senator Nancy Green , who won two medals for Canada at the 1968 Games, NBA star Steve Nash , a native of neighboring Victoria (British Columbia) and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky , each of whom was supposed to light one of the four columns of the torch bowl. It is noteworthy that the Lemey-Doan column did not advance, it was later corrected during the closing ceremony, when she got a second chance to light her part of the bowl again, which she did.

After the official completion of the opening ceremony, Gretzky was taken away by car, which delivered him to an additional bowl. Once there, he lit it in accordance with the tradition of the Olympic Games of yesteryear.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the bowl was inside the Olympic Stadium and was not visible from outside the stadium. The image of the Olympic flame was projected on screens installed on the roof of the stadiums during the first week of the Games ^[23] and were available live to all official game broadcasters . ^[24]

Pigeons

Since the Summer Olympics of 1920, held after the First World War , the lighting of the Olympic flame was accompanied by the release of pigeons symbolizing the world (experienced athletes brought newspapers to cover themselves from bird droppings ) ^[25] This tradition was stopped after several pigeons settled on the rim of the Olympic flame burned alive in the Olympic flame during the 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. ^[26] Later this tradition was replaced by the symbolic release of pigeons after the fire was lit. ^{[7] [8]}

In the 2000 ceremony , the image of the dove was projected onto the huge white fabric held by the athletes in the stadium. In 2004, an LED screen was used. In 2006, acrobats formed the shape of a dove. In the 2008 ceremony , there were fireworks representing the pigeon. In 2010, dove figures were projected onto the stage. In the 2012 ceremony , there were cyclists with pigeon wings lit by LEDs. At the ceremony in 2014, the image of the dove was composed by dancers in dresses with blue LED lights and a light projection on the arena of the stadium. At a ceremony in 2016, children with pigeon kites were seen fleeing next to the first Olympic Laurel winner Kipchoge Keino .

After each Olympic competition, an award ceremony is held. For summer games, ceremonies were usually held immediately after the competition in the respective arenas, while winter games were awarded at the night ceremony on the medal square, with the exception of some team competitions held in indoor stadiums. For three winners, a three-level pedal is used: the winner is located on the central highest step, and the winners on two side. Medals are awarded by IOC members. ^[27] A member of the IOC is usually accompanied by a person from the sports federation who runs this sport (for example, the IAAF Athletics or FINA in swimming), who gives each athlete a small bouquet of flowers. When the Games were held in Athens in 2004 , the winners, in addition to gold medals, also received olive wreaths in honor of the tradition of the ancient Olympic Games. For the 2016 Rio Games, the flowers were replaced with a small 3D model of the Games logo. After the presentation of the medals, the flags of the countries of three winners are raised. The flag of the country of the winner is located in the center and rises to a greater height than the flags of the countries of silver (left) and bronze (right) winners.

Flags rise while playing the national anthem of the country of the gold medalist ^[28] . Citizens of the host country also act as organizers during medal ceremonies. They help officials who present medals and act as flag carriers. ^[29]

Strict rules determine the behavior of athletes during a medal ceremony. For example, they should only wear pre-approved outfits that are standard for the national Olympic athlete team. They are not allowed to show any political affiliation or make a political statement on the podium. ^[16] The most famous violation of this rule was the Black Power salute performed by Tommy Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

For these actions, IOC President Avery Brandage demanded their expulsion from the Olympics ^[30] , after the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) refused to do so, Brundage threatened to oust the entire US athletics team from the Olympics. After that, the USOC complied and Smith and Carlos were expelled. ^[31]

Usually, medals in the men's marathon (at the Summer Olympics) or ski marathons among men 50 km and women at 30 km (at the Winter Olympics), which take place in the penultimate and last days, at the Olympic Stadium, and thus are the last medal ceremonies of the Games.

Unlike opening ceremonies, many elements of Olympic closing ceremonies gradually developed as traditions before becoming mandatory. ^[32]

Like opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies begin with raising the flag of the host country and performing the national anthem. ^{[32] The} traditional part of the closing ceremonies begins with the “Parade of Flags” ^[32] , where the flag bearers from each participating country enter the stadium together, led by the Greek flag (in honor of the birthplace of the Olympic Games) and the flag of the host country at the end. They are followed by all athletes without any distinction or grouping by nationality. This is the "Athletes Parade" ^[32] , the mixing of all athletes is a tradition that began during the 1956 Summer Olympics at the suggestion of John In Win, a student from Melbourne, who believed that this would be a way to attract the world's athletes together as "one nation." Prior to the 1956 Games, not a single Olympic team ever performed at the closing ceremony of modern or ancient games. It was the first International Peace March ever held. ^{[33] [34]} (In 2006, the athletes walked along with their compatriots, then parted and mixed during the ceremonies). The Winter Olympics followed suit in 1960 .

After all the athletes enter the stadium, the final medal ceremony of awarding the Games is held. After consultation with the IOC, the organizing committee of the respective host city determines which disciples will be awarded at the stadium. ^[32] During the Summer Olympics, this is usually a men's marathon. ^[32] ] Traditionally, the men's marathon is held in the last hours of the competition on the last day of the Olympic Games and ends shortly before the closing ceremony. However, the recent summer Olympics in Atlanta , Beijing , London and Rio de Janeiro held a marathon in the early morning due to heat problems in the host city. Since the 2006 Winter Olympics, medals in the 50 km men's ski race have been awarded at the closing ceremony. Then the national flags of the winners are raised and the national anthem of the country of the winner is performed.

Next, the newly elected members of the IOC Athletes Commission, then bouquets of flowers to the volunteers, thanks to them for their work during the Games. ^[32]

Then, two other national flags are raised on flagstaffs simultaneously with the performance of the corresponding national anthems: the flag of Greece to again honor the birthplace of the Olympic Games, as well as the flag of the country in which the next summer or winter Olympic Games are held ^[32] . In Moscow, during the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics , the flag raised to represent the next venue for the Games was the flag of Los Angeles, not the flag of the United States boycotting the Moscow Olympics ^[35] . Two Greek flags were hoisted in Sydney and Athens because Greece was the next venue ( in 2000 ) and because games were hosted in Greece ( in 2004 ). Then the Olympic anthem and the Olympic flag, which was raised during the opening ceremonies, are performed, descended from the flagpole and transferred from the stadium. ^[32]

In the so-called Antwerp Ceremony (since the tradition began at the Antwerp Games), the mayor of the city who organized the Games hands over a special Olympic flag to the president of the IOC, which then passes it to the mayor of the city where the next Olympic Games will take place ^[16], which waving the flag eight times. There are four such flags:

• The Antwerp flag was presented by the IOC at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, and was transferred to the next organizational city of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, USA.
• The Oslo flag was presented by the IOC at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, and is transferred to the next organized city of the Winter Olympics.
• The flag of Seoul was presented by the IOC at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, as a replacement for the flag of Antwerp. This flag was used until 2012 in London.
• The Rio flag was presented by the IOC at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a replacement for the Seoul flag. He was transferred to the next organized city of the Summer Olympics.

This tradition was a particular problem at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The flag was handed over from Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino to Mayor of Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) Sam Sullivan. Mayor Sullivan, being paralyzed, waved a flag holding him in one hand and brandishing a motorized wheelchair back and forth eight times. ^[36]

Then the next host country will present its country with the participation of famous people from their country. This tradition began with the 1976 Games .

Then the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Games speaks first, and then the President of the IOC saying before the closing of the Olympics:

And now, according to tradition, I declare the games [Summer Olympic Games serial number] Olympiad / [Winter Olympic Games serial number] winter Olympic Games closed and I urge the youth of the world to gather four years later in [Name of the next host city] to celebrate the games [subsequent Serial number of the Summer Olympics] Olympics / [subsequent Serial number of the Winter Olympics] winter Olympics. ^{[37] [38] [39] [40]}

Finally, the Olympic flame is extinguished, marking the end of the Games. ^[32]