The Olympic flame
The Olympic flame is a symbol carried over from the ancient Olympics, where a flame burned at the altar(祭坛) of Zeus(宙斯) throughout competition. It was finally reintroduced at the 1928 Amsterdam(阿姆斯特丹) Games.
Carl Diem, chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Berlin Games, proposed that the flame be lit in Greece and transported to Berlin via a torch relay. The idea was adopted (采纳) and continued at every Olympic Games since 1952.
The flame is lit at the ancient site (场所) of Olympia by the natural rays(光线;射线) of the sun reflected(反射) off curved(弧形的) mirror.
Olympic motto
"Citius, Altius, Fortius" is a Latin phrase meaning "Swifter, Higher, Stronger", which Pierre de Coubertin borrowed from Henri Didon. Didon was the headmaster of Arcueil College, and used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements(成就) of students at the school. He had previously been at the Albert Le Grand School, where the Latin words were carved in the stone above the main entrance.
Olympic oath
"In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding (遵守) by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams. "
Written by Pierre de Coubertin, the oath is taken by an athlete from the host nation while he was holding a corner of the Olympic flag. The athlete's oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp Games. A judge from the host country also speaks the oath, with slightly different wording(措辞).
