After being delayed for over a year due to the Covid19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will be finally commencing in July 2021. The opening ceremony will take place on July 23, after which all the games will be held over a period of 16 days. The final events will take place on August 8.
Meaning of Olympics Logo
The Olympic symbol comprises five entwined rings of the same size but different colours - blue, yellow, black, green and red. You will see in the logo that three rings are situated at the top, while the other two are situated at the bottom.
What do the Olympic rings symbolize?
The Olympic rings are a symbol of universal diversity at the games. The 1912 Stockholm Games featured athletes from the five inhabited continents of the world, namely Africa, Asia, America, Europe, and Oceania. The five rings in the logo represent the coming together of athletes from these five different continents. All in all, the six colours in the logo, including the white background, are those that can be found on all the national flags in the world.
History of Olympics Logo
The logo (rings) was designed by Pierre de Coubertin - founder of the International Olympic Committee and first released in 1913, a year after the 1912 Olympics. It made its maiden appearance at the 1920 Summer Olympics which were held in Antwerp, Belgium.
In 1957, the IOC approved a specific version of the logo, which differed only slightly from the original version released in 1913.
Today, there are seven versions of the Olympic rings but the one with five colourful rings against a white background is the preferred one.
Best and worst logo of all time
From the 28 Summer Olympic Games and 23 Winter Olympic Games held over the decades, some logos have won hearts while the others came under the scanner. Here we look at the best and worst Olympic logo of all time.
Worst logo: London 2012
The logo for the 2012 London Olympics was met with widespread criticism. It was irrelevant in several ways – neither did it reflect anything about the games, nor about the culture of the host country. The design tried to imply the year ‘2012’, but was a massive failure.
Best logo: Mexico 1968
The logo for the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico was designed by American graphic designer Lance Wyman and it remains one of the best logos seen in the history of the games. The Olympic rings can be seen wonderfully incorporated in the number 68, while the rest of the design - patterns of curved and diagonal lines represent the gaming tracks as well Mexican folk art.
