The birthplace of the Olympic Games is the sanctuary of the ancient Greeks - Olympia. It is located in the west of the Peloponnese. This place on the banks of the Alfei River, right at the foot of the sacred Mount Kronos, is still a place where the eternal flame burns, from which the Olympic Games fire is lit from time to time and the torch relay starts.
The tradition of such sporting events was revived at the end of the nineteenth century by the French baron de Coubertin. He was a famous public figure of that era. And since then, the Olympic Games have been held every 4 years. And since 1924, they began to arrange winter competitions.
Olympic symbols
Along with the revival of the Olympic tradition, the corresponding symbolism appeared: flag, slogan, anthem, medals, talismans, emblem, etc. All of them were created with the aim of promoting 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 they form two rows. The upper consists of three rings, and the lower, of course, of two.
Colors of Olympic rings
At the mention of the Olympics, everyone first of all recalls the emblem - woven rings of blue, black, scarlet, yellow and green, depicted on a white background. Nevertheless, not everyone knows the exact meaning of the colors of the Olympic rings. There are several versions. Each of them is not without 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, it means that people 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? 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 K. Jung. He is credited with not only an idea explaining the choice of a particular color, but also the creation of the symbolism itself. According to this version, Jung, being a connoisseur of Chinese philosophy, proposed rings as emblems - symbols of greatness and energy. The choice of the number of rings was associated with five different energies (wood, water, metal, fire and earth), which are mentioned in Chinese philosophy. In addition, in 1912, Jung proposed the idea of pentathlon, i.e., it was believed that each of the participants in the competition should master the following sports: swimming, jumping, fencing, running and shooting. The colors of the Olympic 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 a supplement to the first. It is believed that the colors of Olympic rings are all those shades that contain flags of all countries of the world. Again, this means that participants can be athletes from all countries of the world, without exception.
Agree that all versions are interesting, but it does not matter which one is correct. The main thing is that all the nations of the world rally these games. And let their representatives fight only at sports stadiums, and there will always be peace on our planet.