OLYMPICS
Considered the world's foremost sports competition, the Olympics bring together thousands of athletes from around the world to compete. This summer, the summer Olympic games are taking place in Paris, France. Would you like to compete in the Olympic games?!
Olympic Facts
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“Games Wide Open” is the official motto for Paris, 2024. This motto is meant to show these Games will be more inclusive, open, and equal, including with gender parity in athlete participation
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The Torch is an iconic art object intended to embodie the image of the Olympic Games and the host country.
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The Olympic Torch Relay is not an ancient tradition: it started in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The unlit Olympic torch has also been taken to space several times.
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At this Olympics, futuristic robots will welcome athletes, interact with visitors, and provide remote viewing to people who are not physically present at Games-related venues.
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The Olympics were inspired by the Olympic Games held in Olympia Green from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. These games lasted 6 months and were held every four years for 12 centuries until they were banned by Emperor Theodosius I. The athletic tradition was resurrected in 1896 in Greece.
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Currently, Olympics are typically held every four years, with Summer and Winter Olympics alternating every two years.
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The official languages of the games are English and French, complemented by the official language of the host country.
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The Olympics motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius," which translates to "Faster, Higher, Stronger."
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Women were allowed to compete starting in 1900. The 2012 London Games were were first Olympics in which all participating countries sent female athletes.Only five countries have been represented at every modern-era Summer Olympic Games: Greece, Great Britain, France, Switzerland and Australia.
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Only three modern Olympic Games have been cancelled; the 2020 Olympics were postponed.
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Athletes in the ancient Olympic Games competed in the nude. "Gymnasium" comes from the Greek root "gymnos" that means "nude."
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Sports that are no longer part of the Olympics: solo synchronized swimming, tug of war, rope climbing, hot air ballooning, dueling pistol, tandem bicycle, swimming obstacle race, and plunge for distance.
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The youngest Olympian in the modern era is Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics at the age of 10. The oldest Olympic medalist in history is Lida Peyton “Eliza” Pollock, who was 66 years old when she won a bronze medal in the women’s double Columbia round in archery and a gold medal in the women’s team round in the 1904 Olympic Games.
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The United States has the most Olympic medals. Michael Phelps has won the most medals: 28 (including 23 gold medals).
Books Read Aloud
Can you guess the English word with the most potential meanings?
Hint: it can apply to machines, water, clocks, computers, and people.
Word find for Summer Olympic sports.
Can you guess the English word with the most potential meanings?
DIY OLYMPIC CHALLENGE
The Summer Olympics are being played in Japan this year, but who says you can't also have your own Olympic Games at home?! Set up a Room Olympics game night or an indoor or outdoor obstacle course. Embrace the Olympics motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius, which translates to Faster, Higher, Stronger!
DIY OLYMPIC GAMES KIT
DESIGN ANALYSIS
Design is all around us! A great example of a design that's all over the world is the flag. Every country has one and each is unique in its own specific way. During the Olympics, how many countries can you recognize by their flags?
The stars in the U.S.A. flag represent the 50 states of the Union and the thirteen horizontal stripes represent the original 13 Colonies. The color red is symbolic of hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocents, and blue represents justice, perseverance and vigilance.
Analyze a flag of your choice. What does the design of the flag mean? How are dots, lines, shapes, colors and images used in the design?
Design a flag of your own. It can be a flag representing your family, a sports team or other group you relate to.
LOGO DESIGN
The Olympic logo is one of the most recognizable graphics in the world. The interlocking rings of the Olympic flag was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the co-founder of the modern Olympic games. Of the logo design, he said, “The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.”
Each Olympics, the hosting country creates a graphic system that incorporates the logo but is also specific to them. Do you think the current Olympic graphics distinctly reflect Japan? The official 2020 Olympics logo is a geometric pattern that represents diversity – the coming together of different countries, cultures, and ways of thinking. The dark blue color references the elegance and sophistication of Japan.
Visual Meaning
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Circle or ring = represent unified, ongoing, and continuous
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Five rings = represent the five participating contents of Africa, Asia, America, Europe, and Oceania.
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Color: blue, green, yellow, black, and red were selected because at least one of those colors appeared on all the national flags of the world.
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Overlapping = coming together, united; the interaction of countries
An enduring and icon logo created from only circles! It seems so basic, right? Try you hand at designing your own logo using simple shapes. What meaning can you bring to their interaction?
Olympics logo & visual identity
Beyond the sports, what do you visually see in the 2024 Summer Olympics? Each hosting city creates its own unique visual identity system.
Visual Meaning
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Logo's gold circle and flame: gold medal and Olympic torch
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Logo's lips: an image of Marianne, a female figure representing the French Republic
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Giant balloon cauldron: Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the Olympic cauldron balloon, said it was inspired by the ancient Greek Olympic flame ceremony, was to represent freedom — one of the three words in the French national motto: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité."
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Mosaic pattern: inspired by French landmarks combined with sports
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Set of dynamic pictograms: each "coat of arms" graphic depicts the tool related to a sport and the setting for the sport.
ATHLETIC FASHION DESIGN
The uniforms athletes wear aren't just fashionable, they are also designed from head to toe with specific requirements. For instance, a gymnast's uniform must allow a range of motion, stay in place, and allow for twists, flexibility, tension, and pressure. Runners needs specific shoes designed to maximize their running form and speed. A swimmer's uniform would have its own set of parameters.
Take our design challenge and design a uniform for an athlete of your choice. American architect Louis Sullivan coined the phrase, "form follows function," meaning the design of an object should reflect its purpose. What is the purpose of the Olympic uniform? Beyond its physical requirements, are their emotional ones for the user too?
Get psyched, grab a pencil and paper, and start designing!
