The Olympic flag is white with five linked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red. The rings represent the five continents: Africa, Asia, Oceania (Australia), Europe and the Americas. The motto is Latin, “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, in English “Faster, Higher, Stronger”; since 2021 the word “Together” has been added. The Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in Greece, the torch is carried in a relay to the host country and the flame is lit in the stadium at the opening ceremony. It stays alight until the Games are over. To describe your own symbol: “A pomegranate is a good symbol because it has many seeds, like a team with many players. Our motto is ‘Together we shine’.” Use because for a reason and to for a purpose.
Worked examples
Symbol for the Youth Games of Uzbekistan: a blue tile star, because blue tiles are a symbol of our cities. The motto is “Run, jump, shine”. We chose it because it is short and easy to remember.
— What do the five rings represent? — The five continents. — What is the motto? — Faster, Higher, Stronger. — Where is the flame lit? — In Olympia, in Greece.
Class activity
“Symbol design”: in pairs draw a symbol, invent a motto and present it to the class in three sentences.
Practice
1
What do the five rings represent?
The five continents.
2
Write the Olympic motto in English.
Faster, Higher, Stronger
3
Complete: The flame stays alight until the ___ of the Games.
end
4
Give a reason for your own symbol: We chose a ___ because ...
For example: We chose a mountain because sport helps us to reach the top.