Olympic flags & Its Significance

Added: 11/29/2007

What is the use of flags in the realm of international affairs? Can't we go without the flags when we do brag of the need of the union of humanity and federation of mankind!! But surely when the flags have been used for the last 4000 years, it is very difficult for us to negate this practice so easily! It is also to be noted at the same time, that the flags have always been used for the same purpose, to give others information. Take for example the Olympic flags. This great celebration of various events has its own emblem in the form of a flag, denoting a particular purpose, positioning the entire humanity under one flag, with a single mission, the betterment of human understanding, in spite of religious, ethnic, linguistic, cultural differences.

How have the flags come to the fore? It is learnt that in the mediaeval age the Knights of King Arthur of the Round Table used to wear flags on their horses and armor so that others on their side could tell who they were. This notion was perfectly imitated by the awe-inspiring pirates in the later years. Through various exploits and piracy, the Jolly Roger became a symbol of piracy and flown by pirates at the top of their vessels to scare people off meaning "no mercy will be shown to those who resist". In the same manner, certainly not with the intention of piracy, in the more recent years the Olympic flags do represent the five continents coming together in friendly competition, with the white background symbolizing peace. Now anyone may ask what is the necessity of having flags, when the Olympic Games does not relate to any definite country! But we have seen that in the past, flags have played a significant part in society, which is also the case even today. There is no nation under the sun which does not have any flag, whose colors are not tied to the country's history, for example, the orange in the Dutch flag represents the Orange Order that previously ruled the country. The tricolor of the Indian national fag represents the central concept of the Indian mainland, "Unity in Diversity". Thus the national flags are used for representing each country during conflict, sporting competitions, international conferences and events, but they also give individuals a chance to show their patriotism by flying the flag of their nation. Likewise, the Olympic flags do remain steadfast for their own cherished ideals! What are they? They are: "The Olympic flag [...] has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre : blue, yellow, black, green and red [...] This design is symbolic ; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time." (1931) Textes choisis II, p.470.

Now, how are the Olympic flags used? They are used in various ways. The Olympic flags are raised during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and are lowered when the ceremonies are closed. There is also the provision of a second flag, which is used for the Olympic Oath. It is seen, that special flags are kept in the city halls of cities organizing the Olympic Games. Agin, it is also perceived, at the closing ceremonies of each Olympic Games, the mayor of the city that was the orgabnizer of the Games returns the flag to the president of the International Olympic Committee or IOC, who then passes it on to the mayor of the next city to host the Olympic Games. (This ceremony is known as the "Antwerp Ceremony" because it started there). There are three such flags, differing from all other copies in that they have a six-colored fringe around the flag, and are tied with six colored ribbons to a flagstaff. But what is the real significance of the Antwerp flag? The Antwerp flag was presented to the IOC at the 1920 Summer Olympics by the Cityof Antwerp, Belgium an at the the Closing Ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, was passed on to the next organizing city of the Summer Olympics until the Games of Seoul 1988 when it was retired.

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