Group 3-Olympic Research

Created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1914, the Olympic flag contains five interconnected rings on a white background. The five rings symbolize the five significant continents and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The rings, from left to right, are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Games.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/greateventsofthecentury/a/olympicfacts.htm

The Five Rings on the Olympic Flag The rings on the Olympic flag represent the five continents of the world that have come together in the Olympic spirit. Every country in the world has at least one of the colors of the rings in their flag, blue, black and red (top colors) ･ yellow, green (bottom colors).

The five continents they count are North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. They do not include Australia, or Antarctica

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_the_olympic_flag_have_five_rings#ixzz23lYry9fQ

According to most accounts, the rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on an artifact from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red. It is important to emphasize that Pierre de Coubertin never said nor wrote that the colors of the rings were linked with the different continents

The Olympic Flag made its debut at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. At the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. It then rests at the town hall of the next host-city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_the_five_interlocking_rings_of_the_Olympic_symbol_represent#ixzz23lfzkIBh