Last modified: 2002-05-10 by peter hans van den muijzenberg
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![[Flag for Sydney 2000.]](../images/o/oly@s27.gif)
by Zach Harden, 26 June 2001.
AFter the festivities at Sydney 2000, its bright colours appear to have faded, but Sydney 2000 there was an abundance of colours, with flags flying everywhere.
![[The Olympic flag.]](../images/o/olympic.gif)
by Mark Sensen
The Olympic flag was visible everywhere. It was hoisted in the
Stadium for the duration of the game, it was flown at each Olympic
event, in the Olympic Village, and all over Sydney. And finally,
during the Closing Ceremony the Seoul flag was passed on to the
Mayor of Athens, where the
Games of the XXVIII Olympiad will be
held in 2004.
{1}
![[Olympic flag in Blue and
White.]](../images/o/oly@inbw.gif)
by Mark Sensen, recoloured by Ivan Sache, 16 September
2000
The Opening Ceremony of Sydney 2000 began with a group of 120 horsemen bearing flags riding into the stadium. The riders formed a series of patterns, with flags flying, among which the Olympic Rings. Their flags were two-coloured Olympic flags: A Blue Olympic Symbol on a White field. {3}
![[Greek flag.]](../images/g/gr.gif)
by Edward Mooney
At each Opening Ceremony the first flag to enter the stadium in the
Parade of Flags is the flag of Greece. And at
each Closing Ceremony, when the Olympic flag is passed on to the next
host of the Olympic Games a Greek flag is hoisted to symbolize their
past. But at Sydney 2000 something unique did happen: The flag
hoisted to symbolize the future of the Olympic Games was likewise
a Greek flag, since Athens will be the
next host of the Olympic Games.
{1, 2}
During the Openings Ceremony all the teams paraded into the
stadium behind their flags, and during the Closing Ceremony the flags
did so once more. The flags and teams paraded in alphabetical order
according to the language of the host country, except for Greece as
the origin of the Olympic Games which always leads the parade, and
Australia as the host country which closed the parade. The flags
themselves all have the same size, and all have the ratio 2:3. For the
flag of Nepal, which isn't rectangular, this
ratio is used for the hoist and the bottom.
The millions watching the Opening Ceremony saw the flags and athletes
enter the stadium in this order:
{1 and 2}
![[Australian flag.]](../images/a/au.gif)
by António Martins
As Australia was the host country of Sydney 2000, the
Australian national flag could been seen at
every Olympic event. At the Opening Ceremony during the Parade of
Flags, the flag of the host country was the last to enter the stadium.
And at the Closing Ceremony the Australian flag was hoisted to
symbolize the host country that was passing on the Olympic flag
to the next host of the Olympic Games,
Athens.
{1}
![[Aboriginal flag.]](../images/a/au-ab.gif)
by Christopher Vance
![[Torres Strait Islander
flag.]](../images/a/au-tores.gif)
by Ivan Sache
Australia does have more than one national
flag.
In recognition of this the Sydney 2000 organizing committee has flown
the Aboriginal flag and the
Torres Straight Islanders flag alongside
the Australian flag over the Sydney Olympic Park, the Olympic Village,
the Sydney Opera House Olympic precinct, and three other prominent
locations.
{1}
![[Flag of the UNO.]](../images/u/uno.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer, 5 June 1996,
modified by Jan Oskar Engene, 11 April 1998
and António Martins, 10 October 1999
In ancient times an Olympic Truce was pledged for the duration of the Olympic Games. Since 1993 the UN have restored this tradition, and every two years, before the Winter or Summer Games are held, the General Assembly of the United Nations calls on all states and all international and national organizations to observe an Olympic Truce, starting one week before the Olympic Games are opened, and lasting until one week after the Olympic Games are closed.
To signify the Olympic Truce, and to recognize that both the United
Nations and the Olympic Movement strive for peace and understanding
among all nations and people, at the Olympic Games the UN flag is
flown at each Olympic event.
{1}
1
International Olympic Committee Website, July 2000
2
Olympic Charter -
International Olympic Committee, 12 December 1999
3 Ivan Sache, 16 September 2000
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