Page 18 - Olympism in Socialism

purposes. The flag is handed over to the mayor of
the city by the President of the IOC at the time of
the closing ceremony. This flag shall be under the
custody of the mayor of the city till the next.

OLYMPIC TORCH
The ceremony of lighting Olympic Torch takes
place at the temple of Hera, where the ancient
Olympics were held. An actress from the Greek
national theatre, portraying a priestess, uses a
concave mirror to catch the sun’s rays, igniting
the torch, then it is handed to young athletes who
carry it for one kilometer each. The last runner
shall be an athlete from the host country and his
arrival with the torch will be synchronized with
the opening of the games. This was first initiated
by the Germans while they organized the Berlin
Olympic Games in the year 1936. From the Berlin
Olympic onwards this practice continued. Now a
day’s torch is also carried in aeroplanes from one
country to another where it is not possible to
carry it by a relay of runners.

OLYMPIC OATH
Olympic Oath is taken by the athlete of the
host country. He holds the corner of the flag on
the behalf of all the competitors. The oath is as
“We swear that we shall take part in these
Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the
rules, which governs them, in the true spirit of
sportsmanship, for the glory of sports and the
honour of our country”.

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