Opening Ceremony
This ceremony usually starts with the 'Parade of Nations'. Athletes march into the stadium country by country in alphabetical order, lead by Greece (as the founding country of the Games, it gets precedence). The host country marches last. In each delegation, an athlete is selected to carry their country's flag and lead their team-mates in the march. After all the countries have participated in this, speeches are given by the President of the Organizing Committee and the IOC President. After the head of state declares the Games open, the Olympic flag is raised while the Olympic hymn is played. The Olympic flame is used to light the Olympic flame and doves (other sometimes other substitutions) are released as a symbol of peace - while the Olympics are on, a truce is declared between all countries. After an athlete and an official take the Olympic Oath, entertainment is provided for the crowd and viewers by the host country - through music, dance, fireworks, comedy, etc.
Victory Ceremony
Closing Ceremonies
The Closing Ceremonies is like the Opening Ceremonies in the fact that it begins with a Parade of Nations-like ceremony: the 'Parade of Athletes'. Instead of each athlete marching in per country, this time all the flag bearers march into the stadium followed by all the athletes, who are mixed together regardless of nationality or participation. This is to symbolise the unity and friendship of the games. After the last Victory Ceremonies are completed, the Greek national flag (to honor the birthplace of the Olympics), the current host nation's flag, and the next host nation's flag are raised while the corresponding national anthems are played. The Olympic anthem is played while the Olympic flag is lowered off the flagpole and passed to the mayor of the next host country by the current host city's mayor, via the President of the IOC. The mayor receiving the Olympic flag then waves it 8 times. The country then introduces itself with artistic dance and theatre routines (a tradition that started in the 1976 Games). Then, the President of the IOC declares the games closed by saying these words:
Victory Ceremony
After each event the winners are presented their medals on a dais. The winner of first place's national anthem is played as the flags of the three winners are raised.
Closing Ceremonies
And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the [ordinal number of Summer/Winter Olympics] Olympiad/ [ordinal number of Winter Olympics] Olympic Winter Games closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in [name of next host city] to celebrate the Games of the [subsequent ordinal number of Summer Olympics] Olympiad/[subsequent ordinal number of Winter Olympics] Olympic Winter Games.
The Olympic flame is then extinguished. Throughout the ceremony, musical and cultural entertainment has been provided by the host city.
Olympic Cauldron of the 2012 Games.
Images: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/olympics/phelps-olympic-medal-worth/story?id=16898929
http://reuters.tumblr.com/post/28158686216/the-stems-forming-the-olympic-cauldron-are-lit-by
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/22698/heatherwick-studio-2012-london-olympics-cauldron.html
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