Olympic Games ceremony

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The Olympic Games ceremonies are events held at the Olympic Games since their beginning in the ancient Olympics, [1] including the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Their purpose is to introduce and conclude the competition, award the successful competitors, and often to celebrate the culture and history of the hosting country. [2] The ceremonies are integral to the Games and symbolize the international cooperation fostered in the Olympic sporting events.

Contents

Ancient forerunners

Lighting of the modern Olympic flame at Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient Games Olympia flame1.jpg
Lighting of the modern Olympic flame at Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient Games

The ancient Olympics, held in Greece from c. 776 BCE to c. 393 CE, [1] provide the first examples of Olympic ceremonies. The victory celebration, elements of which persist in the modern-day medal and closing ceremonies, often involved elaborate feasts, drinking, singing, and the recitation of poetry. The more wealthy the victor, the more extravagant the celebration. [3] The victors were presented with an olive wreath or crown, harvested from a special tree in Olympia by a boy specially selected for this purpose, using a golden sickle. [3] The festival would conclude with the victors making solemn vows and performing ritual sacrifices to the various gods to whom they were beholden. [3]

There is evidence of dramatic changes in the format of the ancient Games over the nearly 12 centuries that they were celebrated. By roughly the 77th Olympiad, a standard 18-event programme was eventually established. [4] In order to open the Games in ancient Greece, the organizers would hold an Inauguration Festival, followed by a ceremony in which the athletes took an oath of sportsmanship. The first competition, an artistic contest of trumpeters and heralds, concluded the opening festivities. [4]

Evolution of the ceremonies

Some elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the ancient Games from which the modern Olympics draw their ancestry; an example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies. During the 2004 Summer Olympics, the medal winners received a crown of olive branches—a direct reference to the ancient Games where the victor's prize was an olive wreath. The various elements of the ceremonies are mandated by the Olympic Charter and cannot be changed. The host nation is required to seek the approval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for proposed ceremony elements, including the artistic portions of the opening and closing ceremonies.

The Olympic ceremonies have evolved over the centuries. The ancient Games incorporated ceremonies to mark the beginning and ending of every sporting event. There are similarities and differences between the ancient Olympic ceremonies and their modern counterparts. While the presentation of the Games has evolved with improvements in technology and the desire of the host nations to showcase their own artistic expression, the basic events of each ceremony have remained unchanged. The presentation of the opening and closing ceremonies continues to increase in scope, scale and expense, with each successive celebration of the Games, but they are still steeped in tradition.

Opening

A scene from the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony 1035301-05082016- v9a2048 04.08.16.jpg
A scene from the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics

While the Olympic Mass has inaugurated the Olympic Truce since 1896 to include the religious dimension of the Olympic Games, the Olympic opening ceremony represents the official commencement of an Olympic Games and the end of the current Olympic cycle. Due to the tight schedule of the Games, it is usual for some of the sporting events to start two or three days before the opening ceremony. For example, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the football competitions for both men and women began two days prior to the opening ceremony. [5]

This has also been the case in the Winter Olympics, where the ice hockey preliminary round has sometimes begun on the eve of the opening ceremony. [6]

As mandated by the Olympic Charter, various elements frame the opening ceremony of a celebration of the Olympic Games. [2] [7] Most of these rituals were established at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. [8]

Tickets

Tickets for the opening ceremony are often the most expensive and sought-after of the Games. Unsurprisingly, this was not the case for the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics because these Games were held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with strict pandemic protocols, the opening ceremonies took place with only invited guests in attendance. [9] [10]

Time of day

Fireworks mark the beginning of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, hailed as one of the "greatest ever", at the culturally auspicious timing of 8:00 pm on 8 August 2008. Fireworks - panoramio - wuqiang beijing (4).jpg
Fireworks mark the beginning of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, hailed as one of the "greatest ever", at the culturally auspicious timing of 8:00 pm on 8 August 2008.

Since the 1996 Summer Olympics, the host committee has been required to stage the opening ceremony on a Friday evening. The 1980 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Moscow took place at sunset, marking the first time the ceremony was held in the evening. Eight years later, to facilitate a live, prime-time broadcast on Friday night in the Americas, the 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Seoul was held in the morning, a move that faced criticism from the athletes due to the excessive heat. [12] Generally, no competition is scheduled to begin on the day of the opening ceremony; between 1992 and 2020, this practice was codified in the Olympic Charter. However, the rule has been relaxed several times because of the tight calendar of the Games and the preliminaries of some of the longer events needing to take place before the opening ceremony. The most recent example of this scenario took place during the 2022 Winter Olympics when the curling mixed doubles first round preliminaries commenced two days before the opening ceremony.

The last opening ceremony to be held during daylight hours was that of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. CBS held the broadcasting rights for the United States and demanded that the opening ceremony coincide with prime-time television viewing in New York, so the ceremony, which had originally been planned for the evening, was rescheduled to start at 11:00 pm local time. However, these changes facilitated a grand finale which, for the first time in history, featured a live and synchronized performance by six international choirs, linked to the venue via satellite. [13] [14] [15] [16] It was a performance of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", and the locations included the Sydney Opera House, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the UN General Assembly Building in New York City. [17]

Artistic programme

The artistic programme provides the idiosyncratic element of the opening ceremony. [18] Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin's initial vision for the modern Olympics featured both athletic competitions and artistic achievements. [19] As the modern Olympics has evolved into a celebration of sport, it is the opening ceremony that most clearly exhibits Coubertin's overall ideal.

The host nation has the freedom to comprehensively showcase its past, present and future through the artistic programme, which serves as an international platform for the host to promote its national identity, soft power and global image, through a blend of tradition, innovation and political symbolism. [20] All protocols, artistic presentations, elements and rituals included in the opening ceremony must be approved by the IOC Executive Board.

In accordance with current Olympic protocol, the opening ceremony typically begins with the entrance of the host nation's head of state (or other representative) and the president of the IOC, followed by the raising of the host nation's flag and the performance of its national anthem. [2] [7] The host then presents artistic displays of music, singing, dance and theater representative of its culture, its history, and the current Olympic motto. [8] This is a unique opportunity for the host nation to promote itself among the thousands of spectators who will be following the Games. Since the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, the artistic presentations have continued to grow in scale and complexity. The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, for example, reportedly cost US$100 million, much of that cost incurred in the artistic portion of the ceremony. [21]

The host's organizing committee selects the theme that will be incorporated into the various elements of the opening ceremony, including the artistic programme. For example, the theme for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was "Unity in China". On 12 May 2008, only four months before the start of the Games, a devastating earthquake occurred in Sichuan. Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming—chosen to be China's flagbearer at the opening ceremony—entered the stadium hand-in-hand with Lin Hao, a nine-year-old boy who had rescued some of his classmates following the earthquake. [22]

The 2024 artistic programme stirred controversy and drew criticism from some religious groups. According to Newsweek , the groups contended that the performance "appeared to reflect the Last Supper, invoking sacred Christian imagery with dancers, drag queens, and a DJ (Barbara Butch) in poses that resembled Jesus Christ's final meal with His Apostles." [23] Theater director Thomas Jolly responded that his plan was for a "big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus" and not to mock anyone. [23] The organizers of the show apologized to those offended by the "tableau that evoked Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'" but defended the ideas behind it. [24] The Olympic World Library later published the media guide (written before the ceremony) which mentioned the performance being a homage to cultural festivities, [25] and according to the Georgian fact-checking website, Myth Detector, many experts had pointed out the differences between the fresco and the segment. [26]

Parade of Nations

As per tradition, the team from Greece leads the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. 2010 Opening Ceremony - Greece entering.jpg
As per tradition, the team from Greece leads the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic Charter determines that the opening ceremony must contain a protocolar segment called the "Parade of Nations", during which most of the participating athletes march into the stadium, one delegation at a time. It is not compulsory for the athletes to participate in the parade; as it is common for some events of the Games to start before the opening ceremony, any athletes competing in those early events may elect not to march with their team. Each delegation is led by a sign showing the name of their National Olympic Committee (NOC) and by their flagbearer, who is typically a notable athlete of that delegation. [2] [7] Both men and women can be appointed to this honor, although female athletes only began to consistently appear as flagbearers from 1952 onwards, and despite increasing inclusion over the years they were outnumbered by their male counterparts (both in total and relative numbers) on all occasions until Tokyo 2020. [27] As an act of gender equality, beginning in 2020, the IOC has allowed the participating NOCs the option of having two flagbearers, one male and one female (in fact, some countries had already chosen to do this even before the option was instigated by the IOC). [28]

The Parade of Nations was added to the Olympic Games opening ceremonies in 1908. [29] Since the 1928 Summer Olympics, the team from Greece has traditionally entered first, leading the parade in recognition of their role in the ancient Olympic Games, and the host nation's team enters the stadium last. [8] This practice was relaxed at the 2004 opening ceremony because the Games were hosted by Greece; the Greek flagbearer Pyrros Dimas led the parade on his own, followed by Saint Lucia, while the rest of the Greek team entered last. [30] Beginning with the 2020 Olympics, the Refugee Olympic Team enters second, after Greece, and the parade ends with the host nations of the next two Olympic Games in descending order, as the final two teams before the host nation (e.g. at the 2020 opening ceremony, the final three NOCs in the parade were the US, France, and Japan: hosts of the 2028, 2024, and 2020 Games, respectively). [31]

All of the remaining delegations enter the stadium after Greece and before the host nation, appearing in alphabetical order based on their NOC name in the host nation's official language. For example, the three Olympic Games held in Canada have used either English or French, as both are considered official languages of Canada and the IOC. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the delegations entered according to the French language protocol order, French being the city's first language. However, this was reversed at the Winter Olympics in 1988 and 2010 because English is the primary language in Calgary and Vancouver, respectively, so the English language protocol order was used. Cyrillic script was used at the 1980 Summer Olympics in the then-Soviet Union (now Russia), the 1984 Winter Olympics in the then-Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina), and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. The 2004 Summer Games in Greece used Modern Greek script.

Host nations whose official languages do not use Latin script—especially for Games held in Asia—have employed alternative collation methods for the Parade of Nations. At the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics (both held in South Korea), the NOCs were sorted by traditional Korean Hangul script; the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics (both held in Beijing) ordered the NOCs by the number of strokes used to write the team name using Simplified Chinese characters; and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics used the Gojūon ordering of Japanese kana.

The delegations of North Korea and South Korea march as one during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, which was hosted by South Korea. PyeongChang Olympic Opening Ceremony 14.jpg
The delegations of North Korea and South Korea march as one during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, which was hosted by South Korea.

There have been a number of exceptions to this practice. When the Games were held in Japan in 1964 (summer), 1972 (winter), and 1998 (winter), the organizers chose to use the English language protocol order because the use of Japanese grammar would cause certain IOC protocol rules to be broken, and this was considered a goodwill sign by Japanese society. National and internal questions led Spain to also make an exception during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, with consideration for the Catalan independence movement and concerns over the Spanish language gaining undue prominence over the Catalan language; all official announcements during the 1992 Games were initially made in French, followed by Spanish, Catalan, and English (the order of these three languages interspersed), [32] and the team order for the Parade of Nations was based on the French names of the delegations.

The organizing committee for the 2024 Summer Olympics broke with the tradition of staging the opening ceremony in a stadium and instead took it to the city streets. The Parade of Nations was formed by a boat parade on the Seine, with cultural presentations staged along the route. This was part of the goal for the opening ceremony to be a public, non-ticketed event rather than being held in a traditional stadium setting. The protocolar acts were held at the Jardins du Trocadéro. [33] [34] [35]

Opening protocols

After all nations have entered the stadium, the president of the host city's Organizing Committee makes a speech, followed by the IOC president. At the conclusion of their remarks, the IOC president introduces the host country's representative or head of state to officially declare the Games open. Despite the Games being awarded to a particular city (rather than the country in general), the Olympic Charter presently requires the Games to be officially opened by the host country's head of state. [36] However, there have been many exceptions to this rule, where someone other than the host country's head of state has opened the Games. The first example was at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, which had no opening ceremony as it formed a part of the 1900 Paris Exposition. From the US alone, there are five examples of Games not opened by the head of state. [37]

The Olympic Charter provides [36] that the person designated to open the Games should do so by reciting one of the following lines, as appropriate:

  1. For the Summer Olympics (Games of the Olympiad): I declare open the Games of [name of the host city] celebrating the [ordinal number of the Olympiad] Olympiad of the modern era.
  2. For the Winter Olympics: I declare open the [ordinal number] Olympic Winter Games of [name of the host city].

Before 1936, the opening dignitary would often make a short welcoming speech before declaring the Games open. However, since 1936, when Adolf Hitler opened both the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch Partenkirchen and the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the standard formula has been used.

There have been several occasions on which the official has modified the wording of the opening line specified in the Olympic Charter. Recent editions of the Winter Games have seen a trend of using a modification of the first version, instead of the second, which happened in 2002, 2006 and 2010. [38] Other modifications have included:

"Celebrating the 18th/Commemorating the 32nd Modern Olympiad, I will declare the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo competition here."
"Today, 12 October 1968", and then the standard formula followed.
"I declare open the Olympic Games of 1976, celebrating the XXI Olympiad of the modern era."
"Mr President of International Olympic Committee! Sportsmen of the world! Dear guests! Comrades! I declare open the Olympic Games of 1980, celebrating the XXII Olympiad of the modern era."
"Celebrating the XXIII Olympiad of the modern era, I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles."
"(In Catalan) Welcome all to Barcelona. (In Spanish) Today, 25 July of the Year 1992," and then the standard formula followed.
"On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation," and then the standard formula followed.
"I declare the opening of the Olympic Games of Athens [...] and the celebration of the XXVIII Olympiad of the modern era."
"I declare, the XXIX Olympic Games / XXIV Olympic Winter Games of Beijing, open!"
"After this wonderful spectacle," and then the standard formula followed.
The lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics 2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg
The lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics

Next, the Olympic flag is carried into the stadium horizontally (a protocol first adopted at the 1960 Summer Olympics) or vertically (when the ceremonies are held indoors) and hoisted while the Olympic Hymn is played. In 2024, the flag was accidentally raised upside down. The Olympic Charter states that the Olympic flag must "fly for the entire duration of the Olympic Games from a flagpole placed in a prominent position in the main stadium". [36] At most Games, the flag has been carried into the stadium by prominent athletes of the host nation. Following the changes made during the 112th IOC Session held in 2001, consent is given for the Olympic flag to be carried during the opening ceremony by persons who are not athletes, but who promote Olympic values. This special permission includes Paralympic athletes.

Until the 1988 Summer Olympics, the flagbearers of all countries would then circle a rostrum, where one athlete of the host nation (a protocol first adopted at the 1920 Summer Olympics), and one judge of the host nation (adopted at the 1972 Summer Olympics) speak the Olympic Oath, declaring that they will compete and judge according to the rules of their respective sport. [36] Since the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, continuing with the tradition started at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, a coach from the host nation also speaks out the Olympic Oath. For the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the three oaths were merged into one as the Unified Oath, with one athlete, one judge, and one coach each reciting their respective line of the oath in turn, and the athlete then completing the oath.

Olympic flame

Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei de Lima lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lights cauldron (28771915476).jpg
Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei de Lima lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Ever since the 1992 Summer Olympics, the climax of the opening ceremony has been the arrival of the Olympic flame, marking the conclusion of the torch relay. The torch is usually passed between a group of final torchbearers typically selected from among the host nation's most prominent Olympic athletes. The torch is then used by the final torchbearer(s) to light a cauldron inside or near the stadium, signifying the true beginning of the Games. To raise the audience's anticipation, the final torchbearer is often kept unannounced until the last moment. On a few occasions, the final torchbearers have not been prominent sports figures: for example, in 2012, to reflect the motto of the London Games ("Inspire a Generation"), the Olympic cauldron was lit by a group of seven young athletes, who had each been nominated by a notable British athlete. [39] The final torchbearers at the 2022 Winter Olympics reflected China's history in Olympic sports, with athletes from different decades (beginning with the 1950s), and the cauldron was lit by two Chinese skiers due to compete at the 2022 Games. [40]

Under IOC rules, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron must be witnessed by those attending the opening ceremony, implying that it has to be lit at the location where the ceremony is taking place. Another IOC rule stipulates that the cauldron should also be visible outside to the residents of the entire host city. This rule was made evident for the first time during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver, which was the first to be held in a closed venue, the BC Place—then a domed, indoor stadium. A scenic cauldron was jointly lit by Nancy Greene Raine, Steve Nash, and Wayne Gretzky during the opening ceremony (due to a malfunction, the fourth arm of the cauldron meant to be lit by Catriona Le May Doan did not rise), after which Gretzky was escorted outside to light a second, public cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza. [41] [42]

During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the cauldron located inside the Olympic Stadium was not visible from the outside. To compensate for this, a live image of the lit cauldron was projected on the stadium's large rooftop screens during the competitions, and a live feed was available to broadcasters. [43]

One of the three public flames of the 2022 Winter Olympics, located in Yanqing 2022 Winter Olympics cauldron at Yanqing Winter Olympic Cultural Square (20220219134049).jpg
One of the three public flames of the 2022 Winter Olympics, located in Yanqing

The notion of a public cauldron displayed outside the ceremonies venue, to be lit after the opening ceremony, has been adopted by several subsequent Olympics since Vancouver 2010. This became more evident in 2016, when two cauldrons were lit at the opening ceremony: a scenic one inside Maracanã Stadium that was used during the ceremonies, and a permanent one on the Candelária Church plaza, which burned during the rest of the Games. [44] In 2020, as the Japan National Stadium is made of recycled wood, and Japanese law did not permit a lighted cauldron to be set inside the stadium, the same resource was used with the permanent cauldron in Ariake, Tokyo. [45] In 2024, a public cauldron was placed at the Tuileries Garden in Paris. [46] The 2022 Winter Olympics featured three public cauldrons: the main one located outside the Beijing National Stadium, another at the Yanqing District, and the third at Zhangjiakou—representing the three main zones of the Games' venues. [40]

Release of doves

Dove performance from the Sochi 2014 ceremony Opening of XXII Winter Olympic Games (2338-07).jpg
Dove performance from the Sochi 2014 ceremony

Beginning with the post-World War I Summer Olympics of 1920, the lighting of the Olympic flame was followed by the release of doves to symbolize peace. [47] (Experienced athletes brought newspapers to protect themselves from the birds' droppings.) [48] The tradition of releasing live doves was discontinued after several perched themselves at the cauldron's rim and were burned alive by the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. [47]

The release of live doves has since been replaced with a symbolic release after the lighting of the flame. [2] [7] Various alternatives have been used to symbolize the actual release of doves.

Medal presentation

The medal ceremony for the women's uneven bars at the London 2012 Summer Olympics Victory ceremony.jpg
The medal ceremony for the women's uneven bars at the London 2012 Summer Olympics

A medal ceremony is conducted after the completion of every Olympic event. At the Summer Games, the ceremony usually takes place immediately after the event at the respective venues. At the Winter Games, however, the tradition is to present the medals at an evening victory ceremony held at the 'medal plaza' (except for the indoor and some specific events). The reason for this is that the presentation of medals may be difficult in the high-altitude environments of some of the winter events. A three-tiered rostrum (raised platform) is used for the three medal winners, the gold medal winner ascending to the highest platform (in the center), with the silver and bronze medalists flanking. The medals are awarded by a member of the IOC, [49] usually accompanied by a representative of the sport's international federation (such as World Athletics in athletics or World Aquatics in swimming), who presents each athlete with a small bouquet of flowers. Volunteer citizens of the host country take part as hosts during the medal ceremonies, to act as flagbearers and assist the officials presenting the medals. [50] When the Games were held in Athens in 2004, the medal winners also received olive wreaths in honor of the tradition at the Ancient Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, for the first time in history, the flowers were replaced by a small 3D model of the Games' logo. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, the flowers were substituted by a special version of the plush toy of the mascot dressed in traditional Korean clothing.

After the medals have been distributed, the three medalists' national flags are raised. The flag of the gold medalist's country is in the center and elevated the highest, the flag of the silver medalist's country is on the left (when viewed from the front), and the flag of the bronze medalist's country is on the right, both at lower elevations than the gold medalist's national flag. While the flags are raised, the national anthem of the gold medalist's country is played. [51] In the event of there being multiple athletes tied for the gold medal (as was the case for the two gold medalists in the men's high jump at the 2020 Games), their national anthems (if from multiple NOCs) are played in the order of the medalists' surnames alphabetically.

Strict rules govern the conduct of athletes during the medal ceremony. For example, they are required to wear only preapproved outfits that are standard for the athlete's national Olympic team. They are not allowed to display any political affiliation or make a political statement while on the medal stand. [36] The most famous violation of this rule was the Black Power salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. [52] For their actions, IOC president Avery Brundage demanded their expulsion from the Olympics. [53] After the US Olympic Committee (USOC) refused to do so, Brundage threatened to remove the entire US track and field team from the Olympics; the USOC then complied and expelled Smith and Carlos from the Olympic Village. [54]

It is customary for the men's and women's marathon medals (Summer Olympics, since 2020) and the men's 50 km and women's 30 km cross-country skiing medals (Winter Olympics, since 2014) to be awarded as part of the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, traditionally the last medal presentation of the Games.

Closing

The flag parade during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Terminam os Jogos Olimpicos Rio 2016 (29068652481).jpg
The flag parade during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics
Athletes gather in the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Birdsclosing.jpg
Athletes gather in the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Traditionally more relaxed and festive than the opening ceremony, many elements of the closing ceremony have evolved historically through traditions rather than official rules and procedures. [55]

The closing ceremony has been required to occur on a Sunday evening.

Between 1896 and 2000, in addition to the anthem of the host country, it was common for the Greek anthem and the anthem of the next host country to be played in this opening segment. Due to changes implemented in 2005, it is common that the closing ceremony begins with the entrance of the IOC president and the head of state or representative of the host country, followed by the raising of the host country's flag and a performance of its national anthem, followed by an artistic programme. [55]

Because of its flexibility, it is common for the duration to be shorter than the opening ceremonies.

Parade of athletes

The protocolar portion of the closing ceremony usually starts with the entry of the nations' flags, [55] where flagbearers from each participating country enter the stadium field at the main entrance. Since the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Organizing Committee is responsible for deciding whether or not the athletes will enter according to the protocol order used during the opening ceremony. The only requirement is that the Greek flag leads the parade and the host country's flag appears last. An example of the flexibility in this rule occurred at the 2012 Summer Olympics when, during the closing ceremony, the flags of Great Britain as the host country and Brazil as the next host country entered together at the end of this segment. If circumstances permit, the athletes all march en masse without any distinction or grouping by nationality. This blending of the athletes, known as the "Parade of athletes", [55] is a tradition that began during the 1956 Summer Olympics at the suggestion of Melbourne schoolboy John Ian Wing, who thought it would be a way of bringing the athletes of the world together as "one nation". Prior to the 1956 Summer Games, no Olympic team had ever marched in the closing ceremony of the modern or ancient Games. [56]

Final medal ceremony

Starting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, after all the national flags and athletes have entered the stadium, the final medal presentation of the Games is held. Consulting with the IOC, the Organizing Committee of the respective host city may determine which event will have its medals presented. [55] During the Summer Olympics, this place is reserved for the men's marathon award ceremony (starting at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the women's marathon award ceremony also takes place during the closing ceremony). [55] Traditionally, the men's marathon is held on the last day of the competition, and the race finishes within hours of the start of the closing ceremony. However, at the recent Summer Games in Atlanta, Beijing, Rio and Tokyo, the marathon races have been staged in the early morning hours because of the climate conditions in the host city (even though the marathons in 2020 were held in Sapporo, some 800 km away from Tokyo). This tradition has been adapted for the Winter Games: since 2006, the medals for the men's 50 km cross-country skiing event, and since 2014, the medals for the women's 30 km cross-country skiing event have been presented at the closing ceremony.

Another requisite moment is when the newly elected members of the IOC Athletes' Commission present a bouquet of flowers to a representative of the volunteers, as a thank-you to them for their work during the Games. [55]

Olympic host handover

Then, while the Olympic Hymn is played, the Olympic flag that was hoisted during the opening ceremony is lowered from the flagpole and carried from the stadium. [55]

In what is known as the Antwerp Ceremony (because the tradition began at the Antwerp Games), the current mayor of the city that organized the Games transfers the official Olympic flag to the president of the IOC, who then passes it on to the current mayor of the city hosting the next Olympic Games. [36] The receiving mayor then waves the flag eight times. During the ceremony, the mayor of the current host city stands on the left, the president of the IOC stands in the middle, and the mayor of the next host city stands on the right. Until the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, this ceremony was held during the Opening Ceremonies.

After changes held during the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Antwerp ceremony starts with two another national flags hoisted on flagpoles one at a time while the corresponding national anthems are played: first, on one of the masts located at the rostrum tip, the flag of Greece to honor the birthplace of the Olympic Games is played first; and, second, the flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Olympic Games. [55] "Hymn to Liberty", the national anthem of Greece, has been performed at every closing ceremony of the Olympic Games since the current rules were adopted. [57] This protocol segment won more highlight during the closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics, as the US was scheduled to host the next Summer Olympics, was the time of the US anthem being played while its flag was raised, the flag of Los Angeles was raised with the Olympic Anthem played instead of The Star-Spangled Banner as consequence of the constraints who led to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. [58] [59] In Sydney and Athens, two Greek flags were raised because Greece was hosting the 2004 Games.

During the modern Olympic history, five protocolar flags are used:

This portion of the ceremony actually took place at the opening ceremony until the 1984 Summer Games and 1988 Winter Games.

The next host city then introduces itself with a cultural presentation. This tradition began with the 1976 Summer Olympics and was modernized several times until the recent rules were applied in 2020. [61]

Official closing of the Games

The Olympic Flame slowly dying out at the end of the London 2012 Summer Olympics 2012 Olympic flame fading.jpg
The Olympic Flame slowly dying out at the end of the London 2012 Summer Olympics

Afterward, the president of the host city's Organizing Committee makes a speech. The IOC president then makes a speech before closing the Olympics by saying:

And now, I declare the Games of the [ordinal number of Summer Olympics] Olympiad/[ordinal number of Winter Olympics] Olympic Winter Games closed; and in accordance with our tradition, I call upon the youth of the world to assemble, fouryears from now, in [name of next host city] to celebrate with us; the Games of the [subsequent ordinal number of Summer Olympics] Olympiad/[subsequent ordinal number of Winter Olympics] Olympic Winter Games. [62] [63] [64] [65]

If the next Olympic Games is not scheduled for four years after the current one, the IOC president will instead reference the different timeframe. For instance, the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so IOC President Thomas Bach instead stated "I call upon the youth of the world to assemble, three years from now, in Paris." [66] A similar situation occurred at the 1992 Winter Olympics, which were held only two years before the next Winter Olympics in 1994 so that the Summer and Winter Games would be in different years moving forward. Unlike the opening ceremony, the head of state or representative of the host country does not give a speech at the closing ceremony.

Finally, the Olympic cauldron is extinguished, marking the end of the current Games and the start of a new cycle. [55]

Following the conclusion of the ceremony protocol, it is not uncommon for the ceremony to continue on with an "afterparty" of concert performances as a finale; the 2000 Summer Games closing ceremony features various Australian musicians, the 2010 Winter Games closing ceremony featured various Canadian musicians, the 2016 closing ceremony featured a tribute to the Rio Carnival, [67] and the 2018 Winter Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies were focused on the Korean Wave movement, with boy group Exo as performers. The IOC also added a performance by the Dutch DJ Martin Garrix. [68]

References

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