Olympics Closing Ceremonies and International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The Olympic Games are steeped in tradition, and that is as it should be. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in charge of all aspects of the Olympic Games no matter what country is the host nation. The IOC is charged with keeping the Olympic Games fair, above reproach, and nonpolitical in nature. The host nation can plan events, but those events must be approved by the IOC. The host nation can include additional segments to the opening and closing ceremonies provided the plans are approved by the IOC.

The opening ceremony is marked by a parade of athletes separated by the countries which they represent. The Olympic flag is raised, and the Olympic fire is lit. The games are played. The contests are held. Winners are declared and medals are awarded, all according to the rules as specified by the IOC.

When the last Olympic event has been completed (usually the men's marathon), the closing ceremony commences. The president of the IOC gives a speech in which he calls for the athletes of the world to prepare and gather together again in four years to compete in the next Olympic Games.

There is a trumpet fanfare, and the Olympic fire is extinguished. The Olympic anthem is played and the Olympic flag is slowly lowered. The athletes then enter the stadium again but this time as a group without the designations of country or flag. They circle the track and exit the stadium. When the last athlete exits the stadium, the Olympic Games are over.

An interesting note: It was customary until 1956 for the athletes to circle the stadium in groups divided by the nations they represented until 1956. A Chinese teenager who lived in Australia at the time suggested that the athletes be allowed to mingle without country designation during the final parade. That idea was accepted by the IOC and today there is no national division as the participating athletes circle the stadium for the final time.

Olympics Opening Ceremonies and International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the only authority that governs the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games no matter what country they are held in. Every aspect of the opening ceremonies must be approved by the IOC.

As a matter of fact, the IOC has complete control of all activities associated with the Olympic Games from the first moment until the last. There are those who believe that the host nation is in charge, but it is not.

The protocol of the opening ceremonies begins with the high-placed government official of the host nation going to his appointment place on the tribune and then the competitor's parade starts. The first group of athletes is always those who represent Greece, where the ancient Olympics originated. The last group of athletes is those who represent the host nation. The athletes of the other nations are placed in alphabetical order based on the language of the organizing country.

Each group of athletes is dressed in their official Olympic uniform and is preceded by a shield bearing the name of the country and by an athlete carrying the country's national flag.

The president of the Olympic Committee of the Host Nation makes a welcoming speech. His speech is followed by a speech by the president of the IOC. The IOC president asks the chief of state to proclaim the Games open.

There is a trumpet fanfare as the Olympic flag is raised. A runner enters the stadium carrying the Olympic flame on its last leg of its trip around the world, which began in Olympia, Greece. The athlete circles the track once, and then climbs the steps and lights the Olympic fire. The fire burns throughout the games both day and night.

Olympics Opening Ceremonies and International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the only authority that governs the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games no matter what country they are held in. Every aspect of the opening ceremonies must be approved by the IOC.

As a matter of fact, the IOC has complete control of all activities associated with the Olympic Games from the first moment until the last. There are those who believe that the host nation is in charge, but it is not.

The protocol of the opening ceremonies begins with the high-placed government official of the host nation going to his appointment place on the tribune and then the competitor's parade starts. The first group of athletes is always those who represent Greece, where the ancient Olympics originated. The last group of athletes is those who represent the host nation. The athletes of the other nations are placed in alphabetical order based on the language of the organizing country.

Each group of athletes is dressed in their official Olympic uniform and is preceded by a shield bearing the name of the country and by an athlete carrying the country's national flag.

The president of the Olympic Committee of the Host Nation makes a welcoming speech. His speech is followed by a speech by the president of the IOC. The IOC president asks the chief of state to proclaim the Games open.

There is a trumpet fanfare as the Olympic flag is raised. A runner enters the stadium carrying the Olympic flame on its last leg of its trip around the world, which began in Olympia, Greece. The athlete circles the track once, and then climbs the steps and lights the Olympic fire. The fire burns throughout the games both day and night.

Olympic Medal Presentation Rules in Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics includes 28 sports with 38 disciplines, and medals are awarded for all of them. Of course, the list of Olympic sports is not written in stone. Sports have been added and there have been occasions when sports were eliminated. Either adding or subtracting Olympic sports always is marked by strong opinions of both sides.

The medal presentation ceremony is governed as is every aspect of the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The athletes are made aware of the rules regarding their behavior during medal presentation ceremonies and any deviation from those rules is sufficient reason for an athlete being sent home and not allowed to ever again compete in the Olympic Games.

An infraction of the rules at the medal ceremony has only happened once. During the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City two black track-and-field athletes from the United States, Tommie Smith and John Carlos performed the "Black Power" salute. They were sent home.

After an Olympic event, when the medal winners have been decided, a medal ceremony is held. Each ceremony is exactly identical to every other medal ceremony. The event champion (gold medal) stands in the center and on the highest elevated platform. The second-place finisher (silver medal) stands to the left (facing the flags) on a slightly lower platform, and the third-place finisher (bronze medal) stands on the right, also on a slightly lower platform.

The medals are then presented to the winners.

The flags of the winning athletes are raised, with the event champion's flag in the center and slightly higher than the other two flags. The national anthem of the event champion is played, and the ceremony is complete.

The List of Olympic Sports

The list of Olympic sports is not exactly written in stone. The list of Olympic sports consists of all of the games, contests, and events of both the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games. Currently the Olympic sports list consists of 35 sports with 53 disciplines and more than 400 events, which are divided into Summer Olympic events and Winter Olympic events. The Summer Olympic events include 28 sports with 38 disciplines, and the Winter Olympic events include 7 sports with 15 disciplines. (The 400 events include all of the qualifying competitions and heats.)

The list of Olympic sports is fluid. Polo and tug of war are sports that were once Olympic sports but are no longer included. But just because a sport is dropped doesn't mean that it will never be included again. Tennis, for example, was dropped but was reinstated in 1972. Curling was also dropped and reinstated in 1988.

Baseball and softball will be played at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, but they will not be included thereafter unless they are reinstated.

In order for a sport to be included on the Olympics sports list, it must be widely practiced in at least 75 countries, on at least four continents. But just because a sport meets those requirement it doesn't mean that it will be included on the Olympics sports list. And if it is included on the list, that doesn't mean that it will actually be played at the Olympic Games.

Some sports are just simply sports without subcategories. That is, baseball is baseball, basketball is basketball, and tennis is tennis. But some sports are broken down into subcategories, or "disciplines." The aquatics category, for example, consists of diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo.

Olympic Sports in History

In the ancient and original Olympic Games, there was only one sport. The one sport was a foot race that was a winner-take-all event. There was no award given to the second- and third-place finishers. The winner was declared, he gained the prestige of winning and, in a ceremony that followed, he was awarded a crown of olive leaves. Only men were allowed to compete in the ancient Olympics.

The original Olympic Games consisted only of a foot race but over time other events were added. There were no team sports in the ancient Olympic Games, however. All competition was individual competition. Not necessarily in the order given, but the sports that were added to running and became part of the ancient Olympic Games were:

Boxing

Discus (part of Pentathlon)

Equestrian Events

Javelin (part of Pentathlon)

Jumping

Pankration

Pentathlon

Wrestling

Some of the sports that were added to the ancient Olympic Games bear little resemblance to the same sports that are part of our modern Olympic Games. In ancient Olympic boxing, for example, gloves were not used. Men wrapped leather around their hands. The fight was not divided into rounds. The fight continued until one man could not get up and it was permissible to hit a man when he was down. The word "brutal" comes to mind.

Chariot racing which has been depicted in many movies over the years was also added to the ancient Olympic Games in about 680 BC. There were four horse and two horse chariot races. The races were basically the same aside from the number of horses. Chariot racing, however, was not considered a prestigious sport in and of itself. Wealthy men gained prestige according to the number of chariots that they had in the race.