Medal presentation

The medal presentation ceremony is the most exciting moment for all Modern Olympic Games. On 6 April 1896, the closing of the Olympic triple jump competition heralded the birth of the first ever champion in the history of the Modern Olympics--Connolly, a university student from the United States. At the medal presentation, the National Anthem of the United States was played and the National Flag raised, hence the convention of Olympic medal presentation, that is, the playing of the winner' s national anthem and the hoisting of his/her national flag, was formed.

During the first Modern Olympic Games, in the absence of strict rules as to medal composition, size and design, there were only silver and bronze medals. The award for champions was a silver medal and an olive branch, that for runners-up was a bronze medal and a laurel and third winners a bronze medal.

Medal presentations of the first several Modern Olympic Games were, to a certain extent, insipid compared with their contemporary counterparts. All medals were awarded by one celebrity figure with their national anthems played and national flags hoisted. Victory podium was still unknown at these presentation ceremonies and the situation remained until the Los Angeles Olympic Games was held in 1932. The change was introduced by Count Henri De Baillet-Latour, then President of the IOC, who drew his inspiration from his visit to the British Empire Games held at Ontario two years ago where podiums were used for presentation. The winner steps on the podium with two-storey height in front of spectators, and this marked the emergence of the contemporary version of Olympic medal presentation.

In the wake of a series of developments and amendments, the finalized protocol for medal presentation currently adopted by the IOC is as follows: during the Games-time, Olympic medals shall be conferred by the IOC President (or committee members nominated by him/her) in the company of chairmen of related international sports federations (or other authorized representatives); at a given Olympic presentation ceremony, the gold, silver and bronze medalists, dressed in official suits or sports wears, shall mount the victory podium, facing the officials' stands, followed by the announcement of their names and those of other winners; the national flag of the gold medalist shall be hoisted at the central flagstaff and the national flags of the silver and bronze medalists shall be hoisted at the flagpoles located to the immediate right and left of the central flagstaff; all the medalists shall be facing the flags when the champion' s national anthem is being played. Symbolic flag-raising ceremonies, the culmination of the grandeur and solemnity of Olympic medal presentations, always make athletes and spectators full of tears of joy and pride.

Closing ceremony

In contrast to the imposingness and glory of the Olympic opening ceremony, the Olympic closing ceremony is more oriented towards the creation of a relaxed and jovial atmosphere. Typical proceedings at an Olympic closing ceremony include: the procession of flagmen and bearers of nationality signs of participating delegations enter the stadium in single file in the same order as the opening ceremony and take their positions, followed by the entrance of athletes of different nationalities; flag raising--the national flag of the host country is allotted to the central flagstaff, the Greek National Flag the flagstaff to the right and the national flag of the host country of the next Olympic Games the flagstaff to the left; the mayor of the host city hands the Olympic Flag over the IOC President who will then pass it on to the mayor of the host city of the next Olympic Games; the IOC President delivers the closing speech; the Olympic Flame is extinguished in the strains of music accompanied by drumbeats; a flag-lowering ceremony is conducted with the accompaniment of the Olympic Anthem, at the end of which the flag is escorted out of the stadium, and this is followed by the exit of the Olympic delegations; at last, the closing ceremony ends with artistic performances.

During the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games, an Australia-born Chinese boy suggested that the nationality-based differentiation of Olympic athletes be abolished during the closing ceremony procession. The subsequent approval of the proposition by the IOC led to one of the most touching scenes in the history of the Modern Olympic Games--athletes marched into the stadium hand in hand regardless of their national, religious and racial differences. This was an exact representation of Pierre' s intention of founding the Modern Olympic Games, that is, achieving the world peace through Olympism and disseminating the humanistic spirit of truth, good and beauty.