List of people who have kept the Olympic flag
The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event featuring both summer and winter sports, held every two years with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. During Olympic Games closing ceremonies, the sitting president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) received the flag from the mayor of the current host city to the mayor of the next host city. The current Olympic Charter requires this person to be the mayor of the next host city,[1] although this has not always been the case. This article lists the people who have had the ceremonial duty to pass the Olympic flag from one to another for them to keep until the closing ceremony of each games.
Closing ceremony
The IOC factsheet on the closing ceremony states: "The mayors of the current host city and next host city join the IOC President. The mayor of the host city hands the flag to the IOC President, who hands it on to the mayor of the next host city.".[2] The Olympic Charter sets out the exact drill that the flag are to be handed by the mayor of the current host city to the another of the next host city. Three flags were used at the Summer Olympics, the first called the Antwerp flag that was used from 1920 to 1984 when it showed signs of wear. The second is called the Seoul flag that was used from 1988 to 2012. In 2016, the Seoul flag was replaced by the Rio flag, which symbolizes the first edition of the Games that was held in South America. In the Winter Games, the flag used is the so-called Oslo flag, which was first used in 1952. In some editions, a replica of it was used for conservation reasons. In the Summer Youth Olympic Games, the Singapore flag has been used since 2010, while in the Winter Youth Olympic Games, the Innsbruck flag is used. Also for conservation reasons, replicas are used.
With 5 years of keeping the Olympic flag for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, governor Yuriko Koike is the longest keeper of the flag. With 2 years of keeping the Olympic flag for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, mayor Audun Tron is the shortest keeper of the flag.
Keeper of the Summer Olympic Flag
Year | Games | Host city | Keeper of the Olympic flag | Office of keeper | Date | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1920 | VII Olympiad | Antwerp, Belgium | Jan De Vos | Mayor of Antwerp | 14 August 1920 – 12 September 1920 | ||
1924 | VIII Olympiad | Paris, France | Auguste Autrand | Préfet of the Seine | 12 September 1920 – 22 October 1922 | ||
Hippolyte Juillard | 22 October 1922 – 27 July 1924 | ||||||
1928 | IX Olympiad | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Willem de Vlugt | Mayor of Amsterdam | 27 July 1924 – 12 August 1928 | ||
1932 | X Olympiad | Los Angeles, United States | George E. Cryer | Mayor of Los Angeles | 12 August 1928 – 1 July 1929 | ||
John Clinton Porter | 1 July 1929 – 14 August 1932 | ||||||
1936 | XI Olympiad | Berlin, Germany | Heinrich Sahm | Governing Mayor of Berlin | 14 August 1932 – 19 December 1935 | ||
Berlin, Germany | Oskar Maretzky | 19 December 1935 – 16 August 1936 | |||||
1940 | XII Olympiad (cancelled) | Ushizaka Toratan | Mayor of Tokyo | 16 August 1936 – 9 May 1937 | |||
Kobashi Ichita | 9 May 1937 – 16 July 1938 | ||||||
Helsinki, Finland | Antti Tulenheimo | Mayor of Helsinki | 16 July 1938 – 25 November 1939 | ||||
Olympic programs were suspended from 1939 to 1946 due to World War II | |||||||
1948 | XIV Olympiad | London, Great Britain | Lord Latham | Leader of the London County Council | September 1946 – 1947 | ||
Isaac Hayward | 1947 – 14 August 1948 | ||||||
1952 | XV Olympiad | Helsinki, Finland | Eero Rydman | Mayor of Helsinki | 14 August 1948 – 3 August 1952 | ||
1956 | XVI Olympiad | Melbourne, Australia | William John Brens | Mayor of Melbourne | 3 August 1952 – 1953 | ||
Robert Henry Solly | 1953 – 1954 | ||||||
Francis Palmer Selleck | 1954 – 9 December 1956 | ||||||
1960 | XVII Olympiad | Rome, Italy | Umberto Tupini | Mayor of Rome | 9 December 1956 – 10 January 1958 | ||
Urbano Cioccetti | 10 January 1958 – 11 September 1960 | ||||||
1964 | XVIII Olympiad | Tokyo, Japan | Ryotaro Azuma | Governor of Tokyo | 11 September 1960 – 24 October 1964 | ||
1968 | XIX Olympiad | Mexico City, Mexico | Ernesto P. Uruchurtu | Head of Government of Mexico City | 24 October 1964 – 14 September 1966 | ||
Alfonso Corona del Rosal | 14 September 1966 – 27 October 1968 | ||||||
1972 | XX Olympiad | Munich, West Germany | Hans-Jochen Vogel | Mayor of Munich | 27 October 1968 – 11 June 1972 | ||
Georg Kronawitter | 11 June 1972 – 10 September 1972 | ||||||
1976 | XXI Olympiad | Montreal, Canada | Jean Drapeau | Mayor of Montreal | 10 September 1972 – 1 August 1976 | ||
1980 | XXII Olympiad | Moscow, Soviet Union | Vladimir Promyslov | Mayor of Moscow | 1 August 1976 – 3 August 1980 | ||
1984 | XXIII Olympiad | Los Angeles, United States | Tom Bradley | Mayor of Los Angeles | 3 August 1980 – 12 August 1984 | ||
1988 | XXIV Olympiad | Seoul, South Korea | Yom Po-hyun | Mayor of Seoul | 12 August 1984 – 30 February 1987 | ||
Kim Yong-rae | 30 February 1987 – 2 October 1988 | ||||||
1992 | XXV Olympiad | Barcelona, Spain | Pasqual Maragall | Mayor of Barcelona | 2 October 1988 – 9 August 1992 | ||
1996 | XXVI Olympiad | Atlanta, United States | Maynard Jackson | Mayor of Atlanta | 9 August 1992 – January 1994 | ||
Bill Campbell | January 1994 - 4 August 1996 | ||||||
2000 | XXVII Olympiad | Sydney, Australia | Frank Sartor | Mayor of Sydney | 4 August 1996 – 1 October 2000 | ||
2004 | XXVIII Olympiad | Athens, Greece | Dimitris Avramopoulos | Mayor of Athens | 1 October 2000 – 31 December 2002 | ||
Dora Bakoyannis | 1 January 2003 – 29 August 2004 | ||||||
2008 | XXIX Olympiad | Beijing, China | Wang Qishan | Mayor of Beijing | 29 August 2004 – 30 November 2007 | ||
Guo Jinlong | 30 November 2007 – 24 August 2008 | ||||||
2012 | XXX Olympiad | London, Great Britain | Boris Johnson | Mayor of London | 24 August 2008 – 12 August 2012 | ||
2016 | XXXI Olympiad | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Eduardo Paes | Mayor of Rio de Janeiro | 12 August 2012 – 21 August 2016 | ||
2020 | XXXII Olympiad | Tokyo, Japan | Yuriko Koike | Governor of Tokyo | 21 August 2016 – 8 August 2021 | ||
2024 | XXXIII Olympiad | Paris, France | Anne Hidalgo | Mayor of Paris | To start 8 August 2021 |
Keepers of the Winter Olympic Flag
Year | Games | Host city | Keeper of the Olympic flag | Office of keeper | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | VI Winter Olympiad | Oslo, Norway | Brynjulf Bull | Mayor of Oslo | 14 February 1952 – 25 February 1952 | |
1956 | VII Winter Olympiad | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | Mario Rimoldi | Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo | 25 February 1952 – 5 February 1956 | |
1960 | VIII Winter Olympiad | Squaw Valley, United States | Roy Mikkelsen | Mayor of Auburn | 5 February 1956 – 28 February 1960 | |
1964 | VIX Winter Olympiad | Innsbruck, Austria | Alois Lugger | Mayor of Innsbruck | 28 February 1960 – 9 February 1964 | |
1968 | X Winter Olympiad | Grenoble, France | Léon Martin | Mayor of Grenoble | 9 February 1964 – March 1965 | |
Hubert Dubedout | March 1965 – 18 February 1968 | |||||
1972 | XI Winter Olympiad | Sapporo, Japan | Yosaku Harada | Mayor of Saporro | 18 February 1968 – April 1971 | |
Takeshi Itagaki | April 1971 – 13 February 1972 | |||||
1976 | XII Winter Olympiad | |
William H. McNichols Jr. | Mayor of Denver | 13 February 1972 – 15 November 1972 | |
Innsbruck, Austria | Alois Lugger | Mayor of Innsbruck | 15 November 1972 – 9 February 1976 | |||
1980 | XIII Winter Olympiad | Lake Placid, United States | Robert Peacock | Mayor of Lake Placid | 9 February 1976 – 23 February 1980 | |
1984 | XIV Winter Olympiad | Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia | Anto Sučić | Mayor of Sarajevo | 23 February 1980 – 1981 | |
Emerik Blum | 1981 – 1983 | |||||
Uglješa Uzelac | 1983 – 19 February 1984 | |||||
1988 | XV Winter Olympiad | Calgary, Canada | Ralph Klein | Mayor of Calgary | 19 February 1984 – 28 February 1988 | |
1992 | XVI Winter Olympiad | Albertville, France | Henri Dujol | Mayor of Albertville | 28 February 1988 – 23 February 1992 | |
1994 | XVII Winter Olympiad | Lillehammer, Norway | Audun Tron | Mayor of Lillehammer | 23 February 1992 – 27 February 1994 | |
1998 | XVIII Winter Olympiad | Nagano, Japan | Tasuku Tsukada | Mayor of Nagano | 27 February 1994 – 22 February 1998 | |
2002 | XIX Winter Olympiad | Salt Lake City, United States | Deedee Corradini | Mayor of Salt Lake City | 22 February 1998 – 3 January 2000 | |
Rocky Anderson | 3 January 2000 – 24 February 2002 | |||||
2006 | XX Winter Olympiad | Turin, Italy | Sergio Chiamparino | Mayor of Turin | 24 February 2002 – 26 February 2006 | |
2010 | XXI Winter Olympiad | Vancouver, Canada | Sam Sullivan | Mayor of Vancouver | 26 February 2006 – 8 December 2008 | |
Gregor Robertson | 8 December 2008 – 28 February 2010 | |||||
2014 | XXII Winter Olympiad | Sochi, Russia | Anatoly Pakhomov | Mayor of Sochi | 28 February 2010 – 23 February 2014 | |
2018 | XXIII Winter Olympiad | Pyeongchang, South Korea | Seok-Rae Lee | Mayor of Pyeongchang | 23 February 2014 – 30 June 2014 | |
Sim Jae-Guk | 1 July 2014 – 25 February 2018 | |||||
2022 | XXIV Winter Olympiad | Beijing, China | Chen Jining | Mayor of Beijing | 25 February 2018 – present |
Keepers of the Summer Youth Olympic Flag
Year | Games | Host city | Keeper of the Olympic flag | Office of keeper | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | I Youth Olympiad | Singapore | Teo Ser Luck | Mayor of the Northeast District | 14 August 2010 – 26 August 2010 | |
2014 | II Youth Olympiad | Nanjing, China | Ji Jianye | Mayor of Nanjing | 26 August 2010 – 16 October 2013 | |
Miao Ruilin | 16 October 2013 – 28 August 2014 | |||||
2018 | III Youth Olympiad | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Mauricio Macri | Chief of Government of Buenos Aires | 28 August 2014 – 9 December 2015 | |
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta | 9 December 2015 – 18 October 2018 | |||||
2022 | IV Youth Olympiad | Dakar, Senegal | Soham El Wardini | Mayor of Dakar | 18 October 2018 – present |
Keepers of the Winter Youth Olympic Flag
Year | Games | Host city | Keeper of the Olympic flag | Office of keeper | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | I Winter Youth Olympiad | Innsbruck, Austria | Christine Oppitz-Plörer | Mayor of Innsbruck | 13 January 2012 – 22 January 2012 | |
2016 | II Winter Youth Olympiad | Lillehammer, Norway | Espen Johnsen | Mayor of Lillehammer | 22 January 2012 – 21 February 2016 | |
2020 | III Winter Youth Olympiad | Lausanne, Switzerland | Daniel Brélaz | Mayor of Lausanne | 21 February 2016 – 30 June 2016 | |
Grégoire Junod | 30 June 2016 – 22 January 2020 | |||||
2024 | IV Winter Youth Olympiad | Gangwon Province, South Korea | Choi Moon-soon | Governor of Gangwon Province | 22 January 2020 – present | |