What do the Olympic rings mean?
The five Olympic rings represent the union of the five inhabited continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world at the Games.
Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, designed the symbol in 1913. The rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background, interlocked to show unity. They first appeared at the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920.
Coubertin explained that the six colors, including the white background, were chosen because every national flag of the time contained at least one of them. No ring stands for a specific continent.
Other Olympic symbols
The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia in Greece using the Sun's rays and carried to the host city in a torch relay, a tradition that began at the 1936 Berlin Games. The Olympic motto, originally Citius, Altius, Fortius, meaning faster, higher, stronger, added the word Communiter, together, in 2021.
Did You Know?
The rings are one of the most recognized symbols in the world, and their use is strictly protected by the International Olympic Committee.