5 Olympic rings to define your business. Blue, black, red, yellow, green - the colors of the Olympic rings

Is the sanctuary of the ancient Greeks - Olympia. It is located in the west of the Peloponnese Peninsula. This place on the banks of the Alpheus River, right at the foot of Kronos, is still the place where the eternal flame burns, from which from time to time the flame of the Olympic Games is lit and the torch relay starts.

The tradition of holding such sporting competitions was revived at the end of the nineteenth century by the French Baron de Coubertin. He was a famous public figure of that era. And since then, the Olympic Games have been held every 4 years. And since 1924, winter competitions began to be organized.

Olympic symbols

Along with the revival of the Olympic tradition, corresponding symbols appeared: flag, slogan, anthem, medals, talismans, emblem, etc. All of them were created with the aim of promoting this sporting idea throughout the world. By the way, the official emblem of the Olympic Games is five colored rings intertwined in such a way that they form two rows. The upper one consists of three rings, and the lower one, naturally, of two.

When mentioning the Olympics, everyone first of all remembers the emblem - intertwined rings of blue, black, scarlet, yellow and depicted on a white background. However, not everyone knows the exact details of the Olympic rings. There are several versions. Each of them is not devoid of logic and can claim to be considered correct. Below we present to your attention some of them.

According to this version, the colors of the Olympic rings symbolize the continents. That is, this suggests that people from all over the world, or rather from all except Antarctica, can become participants in these games. Let's imagine what shades correspond to each of the continents? It turns out? Now let’s check if you were able to navigate correctly. So what color are the Olympic rings? Europe is America is red, Africa is black, Australia is green and Asia is yellow.
Another version is associated with the name of the famous psychologist C. Jung. He is credited not only with the idea explaining the choice of this or that color, but also with the creation of the symbolism itself. According to this version, Jung, being an expert, proposed rings as an emblem - symbols of greatness and energy. The choice of the number of rings was associated with the five different energies (wood, water, metal, fire and earth) spoken of in Chinese philosophy. In addition, in 1912, Jung proposed the idea of pentathlon, i.e. it was believed that each of the participants in the competition should master the following sports: swimming, jumping, fencing, running and shooting. The colors of the Olympic rings, according to this theory, correspond to each of these sports, as well as one of the above five energies. The result was the following chains: swimming-water-blue, jumping-tree-green, running-earth-yellow, fencing-fire-red, shooting-metal-black.
The third version is like an addition to the first. It is believed that the colors of the Olympic rings are all those shades that contain the flags of all countries of the world. Again, this means that participants can be athletes from all countries of the world without exception.

Agree that all versions are interesting, but it doesn’t matter which one is correct. The main thing is that these games unite all the peoples of the world. And let their representatives fight only in sports stadiums, and there will always be peace on our planet.

Many people do not know the colors of the Olympic rings and their meaning. Rings and rings, but Pierre de Coubertin, who in 1913, when he came up with a symbol for the revived Olympics, put meaning into his creation. He wanted to unite all the continents in a single symbol, and he succeeded.
Olympic rings meaning of colors
In the 60s, the fight against apartheid and racism began, and then bam, and Africa is represented in black on the Olympic flag. Not politically correct. We urgently had to think about how to change this, without essentially changing anything. No sooner said than done. Do we remember about Fenshui? Great stuff, always helps. They said that the Olympic rings now symbolize the earthly elements, and this is what happened:
Blue is water.

Black metal.

Red is fire.

Yellow is earth.

Green – tree.

But for those who don’t believe in Feng Shui, each ring, each color has become a symbol of a certain sport:
Blue: team water polo, diving, swimming (breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly, etc.) and synchronized swimming.
Black: shot and discus throw, sport shooting, weightlifting.

Red: fencing, wrestling, boxing.

Yellow: athletics and, first of all, running over various distances.

Green: Pole vault, long and high.

Well, that's all. It’s beautiful, politically correct, and everyone can choose the transcript they like best.

When Pierre de Coubertin began to revive the Olympic movement, he understood the importance of symbolism in promoting the idea into the world. The word Olympus itself has a deep and multifaceted meaning. This is beauty, strength, universality, and divinity of an activity that develops both the human body and its spirit. He wove five multi-colored rings and unfolded them, thereby symbolizing all 5 inhabited continents, which is why they are different colors.

The mystery of Pierre de Coubertin

The symbolism of multi-colored rings is seemingly simple to read. The blue ring is Europe, the yellow ring is Asia, the black ring is Africa, the green ring is Australia, the red ring is America. This is what was written in the charter of the Olympic Movement until 1951. But the founder of the Olympic movement himself did not say a word about what they mean. Although it looks strange, it cannot be an accident. This means that these colors contain an even deeper meaning than what lies on the surface. That’s why they removed the entry about the colors of the rings in the charter, leaving everything else unchanged.

The five multi-colored rings are the most famous symbol of the Olympic Games. It is constantly before the eyes of billions of people. And to give it an unambiguous interpretation means to belittle it by turning it into a motto. And, probably, Pierre de Coubertin understood this. The symbols are not readable or explained. They have a multifaceted meaning, which each person absorbs in addition to consciousness, and interprets as best he can.

The ring itself is a capacious symbol - infinity, closed on itself. This means that each continent is closed in on itself, but is somehow intertwined with other continents. And the Olympic Games are also some kind of future common cause for all humanity. This is why the Olympic rings are different colors and intertwined with each other.

Another symbol of the Olympic Games

The torch, which is lit from the rays of the Sun and then carried by a relay to the venue of the games, is also a multifaceted symbol. He is carried, and he establishes peace on the planet, reminding people of different races of some, not yet visible, future task of all humanity. After in modern history This fire of peace broke out, until our time two world wars and many civil wars burned out. He did not establish peace. But this idea lives on. It remains to clarify the task that he speaks to people about, and peace will be established on the planet, because wars between and within races will instantly lose their meaning. After all, the task is for all of humanity, it needs to be solved, and not destroy each other. We are intertwined by a common home - planet Earth. And it is already becoming so small, because humanity is growing out of it... Different colors of rings and a torch call us to something unprecedentedly beautiful, for which it is worth living and being human.

Symbols don't die

Pierre de Coubertin retrieved the idea of the Olympic Games from the depths of so-called pagan culture and revived it. And it has become so organically woven into our lives that this too cannot be an accident. This means that the time has come for this idea.

It is interesting that Coubertin called himself an ancient Frank who fell in love with the beautiful paganism of ancient culture. He said that he ceased to be a barbarian when he saw the gods on Olympus, because inexpressible beauty pierced all his feelings. The mind remained the same, but the essence of the soul changed.

The Russian artist and esotericist Nicholas Roerich advised Coubertin to take the ring for his idea. It is a fact. Maybe he helped choose the colors? After all, the meaning of the Olympic rings by color has a very specific meaning. Blue ring - divine thought; black - physicality; red - passion; yellow - sensuality; green - patient poise. The interweaving of these rings symbolizes a certain ideal human personality. True, in esotericism there are two more colored rings, i.e. one must have seven qualities. But esoteric roots are visible.

White flag background

But why are the Olympic rings of different colors on a white cloth? White color is a symbol of all things and purity. And any color on white is dominant, which is why in symbolism and heraldry there is a silver-gray color instead of white. Using a white background in symbolism and heraldry is very risky, because it seems to recede and protrude the symbol placed on it.

Thus, diversity is lost, and the symbol turns into a primitive motto. This did not happen with the flag of the Olympic movement, which is further proof that an artist who subtly feels and understands colors took part in its creation.

Conclusion

The question of why the Olympic rings are different colors will never find a solution. That's why it's a symbol, so as not to have a definite answer. And each interpreter will be right in his own way, and wrong in another. The symbol is perceived by the soul, and not understood by the mind.

The Olympic rings are one of the most recognizable symbols of our time. Five rings of different colors, made on a white background, when intertwined, they combine into one and represent the most famous sport's event in the world. This emblem contains a deep meaning that reveals the very essence of the very concept of sport as such. The symbol of the five rings was based on the idea of healthy competition, fair treatment of athletes, equality of rights for each participating state, and popularization of the Olympic movement. This emblem " Olympic rings"Spectators first saw it in 1914 at the Olympic Games, which at that time took place on Belgian soil.

However, you are most likely interested in who invented the emblem " five olympic rings "? And what does she really represent? There are two versions that try to shed light on this mystery.

First version. This version was even recognized in the Olympic Charter. The fact is that he was directly involved in the origin of the symbol of the Olympic rings Pierre de Coubertin French citizen. It was his developments that served as the prototype for the emblem that was later depicted on the Olympic flag. This happened two years before the Belgian Olympic Games - in 1912.

These rings passing through one another form two rows. Bottom row consists of rings of green and yellow, and the top one of red, black and blue.

The five rings represent the five parts of the world, each of which has a specific color. The green color represents the flowering and lush continent of Australia, yellow is given to Asia, since the people there have yellow skin, and the land in many areas is covered with sand, the red color went to America, because the aborigines there have skin with a reddish tint, the black color was given to Africa, because savages with ebony-colored skin live there, Blue colour stands for Europe because people there consider themselves superior to others.

You need to understand that the two American continents were united into one continent, and no one took the Arctic and Antarctica into account at all, due to the lack of people there.

The emblem of five rings woven into one symbolizes the connection of five continents for the sake of sports competitions on a planetary scale, readiness for fair but serious competition, and a general sports spirit

Read also: the meaning of the Pacific symbol

Second version. This version is not so popular, but it is still too early to dismiss it. Some researchers claim that the symbol of the five rings for the Olympic Games was invented by himself." great and terrible"psychologist Carl Jung. He was well versed in Chinese philosophy in which the sign of the ring denoted greatness, vitality and some mystical energy. The ancient Chinese believed that our universe is controlled by several energies: metal, fire, earth, wood and water. Carl Jung imbued with the spirit of ancient mystical Chinese philosophy, he decided to express these five energies on paper, while uniting them. So he drew the symbol that we now know as the emblem of the Olympic Games. Moreover, the psychologist in 1912 explained how he himself understood these sports competitions. Today they are called pentathlon. He was convinced that an Olympic athlete needed to be versatile and master each of the five types of competitions - shooting, jumping, swimming, running and fencing.

In this case, the color corresponded to shooting was black, jumping was green, swimming was blue, running was yellow, fencing was red. Such an interpretation of the symbol focused attention on the achievements and abilities of a certain athlete worthy of being considered an Olympic champion, and not on the planetary scale of sports competitions

Read also: the meaning of the Dove of Peace symbol

The use of the Olympic rings emblem is subject to strict regulation. It is prohibited to move rings from row to row or change colors. The International Olympic Committee constantly monitors compliance with regulatory standards.

Symbols of the Olympic Games video

The five rings on the Olympic flag represent the 5 continents that the athletes represent. Well, the colors of the rings symbolize the Continents by race. So Asia is symbolized by a yellow ring, Africa by a black ring, America by a red ring, Australia by a green ring and Europe by a blue ring.

5 rings have been a permanent emblem of the Olympic Games since God knows when. And the number of rings means the number of continents. As for colors, blue is for Europe, black is for Africa, green is for Australia, yellow is for Asia, and red is for America.

blue - represents Europe,
black - Africa
green - Australia
red - America and
yellow - Asia.

However, there is another version (and maybe more than one). Some researchers associate the appearance of Olympic symbols - 5 rings, with psychologist Carl Jung, who had great knowledge of Chinese philosophy. So, he presented the idea of five intertwined rings as a reflection of the five energies mentioned in Chinese philosophy: water, earth, fire, wood, metal.

In 1912, along with symbolism, Jung introduced his vision of the essence of Olympic competition in the form of modern pentathlon. That is, any Olympian must master each of the five disciplines.

Swimming - blue color (Water element)
Jumping - green color(element Wood)
Running - yellow color (Earth element)
Fencing - red color (Fire element) and
Shooting - black color (Metal element)

Five continents - five rings. The intertwining of rings with each other symbolizes the desire for peace and friendship of all continents. The black ring is, of course, black Africa, the yellow ring is Asia, Asians have a dark yellowish skin color. Red Ring - America with Red Indians. Green ring - Australia, the so-called green continent. Europe got the blue ring.
The Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin was the general secretary of the sports union in his country, and he came up with the logo of five rings. They represent 5 continents:
blue-Europe

black-Africa
red-America
yellow-Asia
green-Australia

At the 1912 Summer Olympics, these continents united and became international. Each country where the Olympic Games are held has its own logo and there are always 5 rings. The flag of any country must have 1-2 colors from the five continents.
Since ancient times, the Olympic Games were designed to unite people; even wars stopped while they were going on. sports. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the glorious tradition of holding the Olympic Games was revived, their role as a connecting link between different peoples increased even more and covered the whole world.
The five Olympic stars, which we are familiar with from childhood, symbolize the five parts of the world, each of which has its own unique color. Africa is black, America is red, Europe is blue, Asia is yellow, and Australia is green. The Olympic Games are created for all people on the planet, regardless of their skin color and nationality, everyone is equal and has the same chance of winning.
The symbol of the Olympics was developed in 1913 by the founder of the Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The idea for the symbol was taken from images of similar rings on ancient Greek artifacts. There is a version, although it has not been definitively confirmed, that the five rings symbolize the five parts of color:
For as long as I can remember (and I’m almost fifty dollars now), these rings have always been around. And if the motto of the Olympics is Faster, higher, stronger, then the five rings mean the five continents. Always, at all times, the whole world came to the Olympics, stopping all warriors at this time.
The five rings symbolize the five continents that take part in the Olympic Games. Europe is blue, Africa is black, America is red, Asia is yellow and Australia is green. They were first presented at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1920.
The five rings featured on the Olympic flag symbolize the five continents on which the games are held. The colors of the rings are defined as follows -
- Blue - for Europe;
- Black - for Africa;
- Red - for America;
- Yellow for Asia;
- Green - for Australia.