The Ancient Olympic Games were essentially religious in nature. Priests presided over the ritual ceremonies performed in the honour of Zeus and Pelops. The ancient games were a part of a series called the Panhellenic Games which included the Pythian Games, Nemean Games and Isthmian Games.
The events featured were mainly athletic in nature. However chariot racing and combat events were also popular. The pentathlon consisted of jumping, discus, javelin, wresting and a foot race. Naturally the games have changed considerably since that time and so have the symbols associated with it.
The modern Olympics are associated with the symbol commonly called the Olympic rings. This has
five intertwined rings of the colors blue, yellow, black, green and red. Each ring is said to be a symbol of each of the five inhabited continents (the Americas are considered one continent). These rings are set off on a white background. This is the symbol seen on the Olympic flag.
The Olympic motto is a Latin saying which goes “Citius, Altius, Fortius” and means “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” The Olympic creed was expressed by Coubertin in these words, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but
to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
The Olympic Flame is yet another symbol. This is lit in accordance with ancient Greek rituals by a priestess using a parabolic mirror and the sun’s rays. The first torch is lit in this manner by her and passed on to the first of many relay bearers who carry it through all the participating countries and then bring it in to the host city’s Olympic Stadium. It is used in the opening ceremony. The Olympic Flame has been a symbol since 1928 AD, yet the torch and the relay came into effect only as part of the 1936 Summer Games hosted in Germany.