The Olympic Games are incredibly popular and many people watch them regularly. The Olympics even features soccer as one of its sports. However, the logo that they use has more meaning than many people might know. Without further ado, let’s dive into the hidden meaning of the Olympic logo.
Olympic Logo: Its History
Naturally, it is important to discuss the history of the Olympic logo first. The Olympics originally started more than 3,000 years ago. Written records indicate that athletes may have played the first Olympic games as far back as 776 BCE. However, the Olympic logo’s history doesn’t go back quite that far.
The history of the current logo of the Olympic Games begins in 1913. Baron Pierre de Coubertin drew the first version of the current logo on a letter back in 1913. However, the public didn’t see the Olympic rings until years after that. The first official appearance of the Olympic rings was in 1928.
The poster for the 1928 Olympic Winter Games held in St. Moritz, Switzerland featured the Olympic rings. That introduced the Olympic rings to the world. After that, the Olympic rings appeared again on the poster for the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. Lake Placid, USA was the host city of the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. The 1932 Olympic Winter Games were also the third edition of the Olympic Winter Games.
However, with that out of the way, it is time to answer the question at hand. What is the hidden meaning of the Olympic logo?
What Is the Olympic Logo’s Hidden Meaning?
Now that the brief overview of the logo’s history is complete, it is time to move onto answering the main question discussed at the beginning of the article. What is the logo’s meaning? Many people might see the logo and think it is merely an interesting symbol for the Olympics and nothing more. However, this is not the case.
As previously mentioned, Baron Pierre de Coubertin created the modern logo of the Olympic Games many years ago. Also, he did not decide to use the five interlocking rings as a symbol for the Olympics simply due to its aesthetic value. The symbol held meaning to him. Coubertin stated that the five interlocking rings represented the five areas of the world that accepted the Olympic Games and had accepted the ‘fertile rivalries’ that came with the Olympic Games. This makes sense, since the Olympic Games are often seen as a symbol of international unity.
That answers the question. However, it is important to discuss the changes that the logo has undergone over time.
The Olympic Logo Originated in 1913 and Didn’t Change Much Up to 1986
As previously mentioned, the logo of the Olympic Games started in 1913. That is when Baron Pierre de Coubertin created it initially. The first version of the logo shared some similarities with the current logo. The colors were the same overall, it depicted five rings, and the order of the rings was the same as it is today. The rings were and are in the following order: blue, yellow, black, green, and red.
Despite this, the first version of the logo also differed from the current logo in some important ways. The first difference is that the rings in the first version of the logo were thicker than they are in the current version of the logo. Also, the shades of the colors were somewhat different.
The yellow ring was a much brighter shade of yellow than it is today. Additionally, the blue color used in the blue ring was a deeper color, more of a royal blue shade than the current blue shade used in the blue ring. This initial version of the rings would remain the same until 1986.
The Early Modern Olympic Logo Lasted from 1986 to 2010
The International Olympic Committee, also known as the IOC, decided it was time to modernize the logo of the Olympic Games in 1986. As a result, the redesign changed several aspects of the logo and added a new element. They added thin white lines at the areas of the rings where the rings interlock. This made the appearance of the logo more clean and gave it a unique visual appeal.
Also, the IOC changed the thickness of the logo’s rings so that they became thinner than the rings in the previous logo. The last aspect of the logo that the IOC changed in 1986 was the color of the rings. The main colors for the rings were still blue, yellow, black, green, and red. However, the IOC altered the shades of these main colors.
Instead of the deep royal blue shade, the blue ring was now a lighter shade of blue. The yellow ring was now a golden yellow instead of a lighter yellow. Additionally, the green and red rings were changed to be lighter shades, as well. This second version of the Olympic logo looked cleaner and more professional than its predecessor.
The Current Logo of the Olympics Takes Shape in 2010
The second version of the logo of the Olympic Games remained unchanged for 24 years. However, in 2010, the International Olympic Committee decided to redesign the logo once again. They removed the thin white lines that appeared at the areas where the rings interlocked. Removing this made the logo look more similar to the original version that was used from the beginning of the Olympic Games until 1986.
The previous redesign changed the shades of the colors on the Olympic rings. However, this most recent redesign did not change the colors of the Olympic rings. They remained the same. Doing so intended to provide the Olympic logo with a more versatile, cleaner, and more professional appearance.
The current version of the logo of the Olympic Games is perhaps the most iconic version of the logo yet. It remains to be seen whether or not the International Olympic Committee will decide to redesign the logo once again. The version of the Olympic logo created in 2010 is the version that the Olympics still uses to this day.
That wraps up our explanation of the Olympic logo and its hidden meaning and history.