In 1913, Pierre de Coubertin designed one of the world's most famous symbols
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The Olympic rings represent the five continents and all nations united by Olympism. Today, they make up of the most famous and recognised symbols in the world. Did you know that it was a mere 20 years after the re-establishment of the Olympic Games that Pierre de Coubertin presented his emblem to the 1914 Olympic Congress in Paris? While he is remembered for being an educator, historian and founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he was also a talented designer. Read on for the full history of the Olympic rings.
The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius", which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger", was proposed to Pierre de Coubertin by Dominican priest Henri Didon. While this was used at the founding Congress of the IOC calling for the re-establishment of the Games on 23 June 1894, the famous symbol of five interlaced rings appeared only two decades later. Previously, Pierre de Coubertin had designed an emblem depicting an open crown made up of olive branches, reminiscent of the prizes awarded to athletes during the ancient Games. This symbol appeared on the official letterhead.
Tokyo 2020 has released (1YTG) 1 Year to Go video
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With just one year to go until the start of the Olympic Games, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee released a video at the Olympic Stadium on 23 July at 8 p.m. to mark the exact moment the Opening Ceremony will be held for the postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Japanese swimmer IKEE Rikako delivered a message of hope to people across the globe, encouraging the world to look forward to next year's Games.
Although the stadium was not open to the public, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the historic moment was watched around the world through a live event online.
Watch the replay of the event below. Please note there are subtitles on the bottom right of video.
Letter from the President of the International Olympic Committee
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Dear Presidents & friends,
As you will have seen, the 136th IOC Session confirmed today the decision to postpone the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2022 to 2026. The proposal to postpone these Summer Youth Olympic Games was made by our Senegalese partners and friends and welcomed by the IOC.
It allows all of us, the IOC, the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations to better balance our activities. We have been strongly affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and by the subsequent rescheduling of a number of major international sports events, resulting in a very crowded international sports calendar between 2022 and 2024.
