Iconic Olympic Traditions and Rituals

With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris beginning this week, a litany of ceremonies, invocations, and other rituals will commence, kicking off the contests. These processions may seem arbitrary, but they serve as important symbolic and spiritual reminders of what the Olympics stand for. While many aspects of the games have evolved over the years, some Olympic traditions and rituals are truly iconic.

Considering the original Olympic Games in Ancient Greece began as a religious festival, it's no surprise many of those elements feature in the modern Olympics. These traditions and rituals harken back to the Ancient World, enlivening their beliefs in the complicated relationship between gods, sports, and human progress. They also establish a link between old and new, replicating Ancient rituals in modern ways to give the modern Olympic games a sense of nobility, prestige, and empowerment. In this article, we will explore several iconic Olympic traditions and rituals.

(For great moments, discover the most iconic Summer Olympic moments in history.)

To compile a list of iconic Olympic traditions and rituals, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of Olympic, sports, and news publications including TopEndSports, BleacherReport, and Olympics.com. Next, we selected traditions and rituals that serve important functions during the Olympic opening ceremonies and enjoyment of the games. After that, we confirmed aspects of each tradition using sites like CBSNews.com and Olympics.com.

The release of doves, or birds of peace, dates back to the 1896 Olympics. A potent symbol of peace, tranquility, and goodwill, the birds mark an important tradition at the commencement of the Olympic Games. This is one of the iconic Olympic traditions and rituals that continued through the following century, in one format or another.

However, tragedy struck at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. After doves were released, they became attracted to the burning Olympic cauldron. In the process, many of them died. After this incident, The Olympic Committee sought to avoid future accidents by emulating the release of doves in a more symbolic format. For example, white, winged cyclists rode a lap of the Olympic stadium at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. At the Sochi Olympic Games in 2014, a group of dancers interpreted the flight of doves.

During the Ancient Olympic Games, the constantly warring Greek city-states put aside their conflicts, ignoring political tension and allowing people to travel freely to and from the events through a concept called Ekecheiria. While it is one of the iconic Olympic traditions and rituals, it bore little consequence for the modern Olympic games. That is until escalating geopolitical tension brought violence to the games in the post-war period of the 20th Century.

After the attacks on Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Games and bombings during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the International Olympic Committee reignited its prerogative for peace. They partnered with the United Nations and adopted a resolution preceding each Olympic Games. They described it as "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal".

Of all the Olympic traditions and rituals, the Olympic Rings remain the most iconic. The founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, created the symbol on a flag in 1914 with each blue, yellow, black, green, and red ring holding symbolic meaning. First flown at the Antwerp Olympic Stadium in 1920, each ring represents a major region of the world. Courbertin chose those specific colors because at least one of them appeared on every country's flag in the world.

While the original Olympic Flag entered retirement after the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the IOC unveiled an updated flag during the 1988 Games in Seoul. A few years later, the committee recharged its symbolic meaning, proclaiming the blue ring as a pursuit of excellence, the black ring as a joy of effort, the red ring for fair play, yellow for respect for others, and green for balance between mind, body, and will.

While it currently stands as one of the most iconic Olympic traditions and rituals, the Olympic torch originated later than many might expect. Chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Olympic Games, Carl Diem, suggested the inclusion of a torch ahead of the 1936 Games in Berlin.

The torch-bearing subsequent lighting of the Olympic cauldron became an immediate hit. As such, it remained a staple of the Olympic ceremonies until the modern day. Over the years, different artists have redesigned the torch, often incorporating symbolic elements that speak to the location of that year's Olympic Games.

The procession of the Olympic torch is an equally important aspect of the game's opening ceremonies. Proposed in tandem with the use of a torch by Carl Diem, the procession of the flame serves as perhaps the most symbolically potent aspect of the iconic Olympic traditions and rituals. First lit by the sun's rays in Greece, the flame is relayed across the world to wherever the Olympics are taking place without extinguishing.

While runners traditionally transported the Olympic torch, the modern age brought fascinating transport modes such as planes, satellites, and even camels. Keeping the flame alight, the torch passes from person to person until it reaches the Olympic stadium. This tradition acts as a ritualistic link between the Ancient and Modern Olympics and suggests the power of teamwork and collaboration to keep the flame of competition burning.

In Ancient times, first-place athletes at the Olympic Games received an Olive Wreath as an award. Second and third-place athletes, however, received nothing. When people revived the Olympics in 1896, first-place winners received a silver medal and an olive wreath, and second-place winners received a bronze medal and a laurel wreath. One of the most iconic Olympic traditions and rituals, however, started at the 1904 Games in St. Louis. There, first-place winners received a gold medal, second-place received silver and third-place bronze. This established a tradition that's remained in place till now.

Starting in 1928, each medal featured a standard depiction of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, the Olympic Rings, the Ancient Greek coliseum, and numbers denoting the year of the Games. Over time, the IOC allowed host countries to add specific details denoting their culture. When the Olympics returned "home" to Athens in the 2004 Games, the medals were updated to include new Greek symbolism.

(For a blast from the past, see incredible photos showing what the Olympics were like a century ago.)

While it is a more recent addition to the traditions and rituals of the Olympic games, the Olympic Hymn has become iconic. Between 1896 and 1960, each country enlisted local composers to craft a hymn unique to the host country. In 1957, however, the International Olympic Committee made the original 1896 hymn standard for all Olympic Games.

Composed by Spyros Samaras, Greece's national poet Kostis Palamas later added words to the song. Featuring lyrics like "Immortal spirit of antiquity" and "Give life and animation to those noble games!" the song harkens back to the type of Ancient Greek hymns honoring notions of victory, athletic spirit, and the nobility of competition. Nowadays, each host country plays the hymn in their language while the original Greek lyrics and English translations are presented to the audience.

As the modern Olympics grew in popularity, its sense of style evolved in tandem. Take the Olympic pictograms, for example, a midcentury visual addition that serves as a signpost for each Olympic sport. First introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the pictograms act as a helpful reinforcement, distilling the essence of each sport being offered.

Stylish, simple, and visually distinctive, the Olympic Pictograms have evolved from simple road sign-like illustrations into more complex, artful displays of athletics. Usually, these pictograms are composed on a monochrome background to give each sport a distinctive flair and act as a reminder for audiences and athletes alike.

While modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin put a lot of thought into how the games should proceed and the symbolic elements put in place to reinforce the gravitas of the games, some of the iconic Olympic traditions and rituals grew out of the games themselves. During the 1908 Olympic Games, Bishop Ethelbert Talbot gave a speech during a service in the opening ceremonies. One part of his speech stuck out and rang true for Courbertin, so he made it the official Olympic creed. It goes: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

A little over a decade later, Courbetin borrowed a phrase from another religious leader to create the official Olympic Motto. His friend Father Henri Didon uttered a phrase in Latin that seemed quite applicable–"Citius, Altius, Fortius." Translated into English, the phrase means "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." After a century, the International Olympic Committee amended the phrase to read "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together."

When Pierre de Coubertin created the first modern Olympics, he prioritized the use of iconic Olympic traditions and rituals to reinforce the importance and distinction of the games. One such tradition took the form of an oath, recited by one athlete during opening ceremonies on behalf of all other athletes competing.

To add to the ritual, the chosen athlete recites the oath while holding a corner of his country's flag. Belgian fencer Victor Boin took the first oath during the 1920 Olympics. It goes: "In the name of the athletes, we promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play. We all commit ourselves to sport without doping and cheating. We do this, for the glory of sport, for the honour of our teams and in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism."

Unlike other iconic Olympic traditions and rituals, pin trading developed more organically. Furthermore, it's a tradition that anyone can take part in and enjoy. Its origins come from the 1896 games when delegations wore cardboard badges. What began as a way to identify athletes and officials, however, slowly evolved into a trading practice between everyone. Once high-quality enamels replaced cardboard, Olympic pins became a hot item that everyone wanted.

It also became a great way for Olympic committees to recoup some of their costs. Indeed, a local company in Norway produced and sold some 8 million pins for the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994. As their popularity grew, so did the extravagance and complexity of their designs. Beyond the standard invocations and ceremonial rituals, pin trading gives even the most casual Olympics fan a sense of tradition, craftsmanship, and cross-cultural exchange.

(For inedible moments within the games, discover seven iconic stories of sportsmanship from the Summer Olympics.)