Why is the Greek Flag at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Closing Ceremony? Here are the details

Sunday marked the end of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the ceremonious closing events ended this year’s sporting events. Along with the extinguishing of the flame, the closing ceremony also featured programmes like speeches, flag bearings, and a few national anthems being played. During the event, a nod to Greece was given as part of the enduring tradition as the Greek flag was raised while the national anthem was played.

Why is the Greek flag at the Olympics?

Hoisting the Greek flag at Olympics is part of a long tradition. Regardless of the Games’ location, Greece is given respect and their national anthem is played to honour the ancient origins of the Olympic Games. Respecting the nation for starting the games, Greece’s flag is flown alongside the host country.

When was Olympics started?

The origin of the Olympics dates back to 776BC. The games were held every four years in Greece to honour the Greek God Zeus. The Olympics in Greece happened till 393AD and then stopped. However, the games’ tradition was later picked up, and the first modern Olympics was held in the year 1896. Interestingly, the first official Olympics was held in Athens, Greece.

As to honour this traditional start of the event, the Greek flag is flown and their national anthem is played at the closing of every Olympics. Along with Greece, the national anthems of the host country, the Olympic anthem and the anthem of the next host country are also played at the ceremony. This year’s event closed with the raising of the flag of France and its national anthem, as the country prepares to host the 2024 Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 'handing over' to Paris 2024 done in space

The handover from #Tokyo2020 to #Paris2024 was literally 'out of this world' on August 8, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the gesture. In a video shared, two astronauts from each side were seen holding the 'Paris 2024' flag in space. The video was to denote the next Olympic and Paralympic Games host country, France. Meanwhile, the next Winter Olympics will be in Bejing, China in 2022.

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