Olympic trivia

• The Olympic flag comprises five interlaced rings on a white field. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, said the rings "represent the five parts of the world which are now part of Olympism and ready to accept the fertile rivalry it entails." The rings represent the union of the five continents during the Games. The colors were chosen because at least one of these colors is found in the flag of every nation.

• The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." Its English translation from the Latin is "Faster, Higher, Stronger."

• The Olympic flame is a symbol carried over from the ancient Olympics, where a sacred flame burned at the altar of Zeus throughout competition. It was reintroduced at the 1924 Amsterdam Games and again burned in 1932. The flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by the natural rays of the sun reflected off a curved mirror. It is lit at a ceremony by women dressed in robes resembling those worn in ancient times, who then pass it to the first relay runner.

• The Olympic oath taken by athletes states: "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."
  Written by de Coubertin, the oath is taken by an athlete from the host nation while holding a corner of the Olympic flag. The athletes' oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

• The Olympic creed states: "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."

  There have been many permutations of this basic message throughout Games history, though this is the current creed that appears on the scoreboard during the Opening Ceremony. De Coubertin adopted, and later quoted, this creed after hearing the bishop of Central Pennsylvania, Ethelbert Talbot, speak at a service for Olympic athletes during the 1908 London Games.

Source:The International Olympic Committee and the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.