Five rings is an international symbol of the modern Olympics, which was invented at the beginning of the 20th century. It is one of ten attributes of the competition, which includes fire, olive branch, anthem, medals, slogan, etc. The Olympic rings are depicted on a white flag waving over huge stadiums, often built specifically for the long-awaited sporting event.
Almost simultaneously with the revival of the Olympic Games in their modern version, which fell on the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the so-called Olympic movement appeared. Its founder was Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who also played a central role in the development of a new milestone in the history of the Olympics. The main idea of the movement was the complete alienation of international sports from the political relations of the participating countries.
It was the idea of uniting athletes from all countries and their renunciation of the political situation in their native countries that formed the basis for the creation of the international symbol of the Olympics. Five rings of different colors on a white flag, according to one version, represent five continents. The white color of the banner means that there are no political conflicts between the countries at the time of the Olympics. In other words, world peace. Actually, this was the main principle of the ancient games, which Pierre de Coubertin sought to transfer to modern times.
There is also another version of the color of the rings. De Coubertin chose very popular colors, at least one of which is necessarily present in the national flag of any country. However, most sources confirm the first version. According to it, blue corresponds to Europe, yellow to Asia, black to Africa, red to America and green to Australia. The intersection of the rings is reflected in the Olympic Charter, i.e. the statute of the games, according to which athletes from all over the world, of any skin color and religion can participate in the competition. Discrimination on any grounds is not allowed.
It is easy to see from the way the Olympic Games are held that the statutes of the games are not always followed. At the opening ceremony, invariably
symbols of the Olympics appear, which accompany it throughout the competition. Including the sacred Olympic flame, which, in turn, symbolizes the sun over the countries in the world. However, not all countries comply with the charter. The most vulnerable in this situation is the host country of the Olympic Games. In particular, in 1980, the United States completely ignored the games in the USSR. Canada, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Germany and China followed suit.
