Olympic Hymn - wikipedia Olympic Hymn This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2012 ) Olympic Hymn English : Olympic Anthem Official and Olympic anthem of Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee Also known as Greek : Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος French : Hymne Olympique Lyrics Kostis Palamas Music Spyridon Samaras, 1896 Adopted 1958 Audio sample The Olympic Hymn file help The Olympic Hymn ( Greek : Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος, Olympiakós Ýmnos ), also known informally as the Olympic Anthem, is a choral cantata by opera composer Spyridon Samaras ( 1861 - 1917 ), with lyrics by Greek poet Kostis Palamas. Both poet and composer were the choice of the Greek Demetrius Vikelas, who was the first President of the International Olympic Committee. Contents 1 History 2 Lyrics 3 Languages in which anthem was performed 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History The anthem was performed for the first time for the ceremony of opening of the first edition at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In the following years, every hosting nation commissioned to various musicians the composition of a specific Olympic hymn for their own edition of the games. The anthem by Samaras and Palamas was declared the official Olympic Anthem by the International Olympic Committee in 1958 at the 54th Session of the IOC in Tokyo, Japan. Since 1960, it has been played at each Olympic Games : during the opening ceremony when the Olympic flag is hoisted, and during the closing ceremony when the Olympic flag is lowered. Lyrics Original Greek Transliterated into Latin alphabet Αρχαίο Πνεύμα αθάνατο, αγνέ πατέρα του ωραίου, του μεγάλου και του αληθινού, Κατέβα, φανερώσου κι άστραψε εδώ πέρα στη δόξα της δικής σου γης και τ ' ουρανού. Στο δρόμο και στο πάλεμα και στο λιθάρι Στων ευγενών αγώνων λάμψε την ορμή Και με το αμάραντο στεφάνωσε κλωνάρι και σιδερένιο πλάσε και άξιο το κορμί. ( δις ) Κάμποι, βουνά και θάλασσες φέγγουνε μαζί σου σαν ένας λευκοπόρφυρος μέγας ναός. Και τρέχει στο ναό εδώ προσκυνητής σου ( δις ) Αρχαίο Πνεύμα αθάνατο, κάθε λαός. ( δις ) Arkhéo Pnévma athánato, aghné patéra tou oréou, tou meghálou ke tou alithinoú Katéva, fanerósou ki ástrapse edhó péra sti dhóksa tis dhikís sou ghis ke t'ouranoú. Sto dhrómo ke sto pálema ke sto lithári Ston evghenón aghónon lámpse tin ormí. Ke me to amáranto stefánose klonári ke sidherénio pláse ke áksio to kormí. ( 2x ) Kámpi, vouná ke thálasses féngoune mazí sou san énas lefkopórfyros méghas naós Ke trékhi sto naó edhó proskynitís sou ( 2x ) Arkhéo Pnévma athánato, káthe laós. ( 2x ) English translation ( literal ) English translation ( free ) O Ancient immortal Spirit, pure father Of beauty, of greatness and of truth, Descend, reveal yourself and flash like lightning here, within the glory of your own earth and sky. At running and at wrestling and at throwing, Shine in the momentum of noble contests, And crown with the unfading branch And make the body worthy and ironlike. ( 2x ) Plains, mountains and seas glow with you Like a white - and - purple great temple, And hastens to the temple here - your pilgrim, ( 2x ) O Ancient immortal Spirit - every nation. ( 2x ) Immortal spirit of antiquity Father of the true, beautiful and good Descend, appear, shed over us thy light Upon this ground and under this sky Which has first witnessed thy unperishable fame Give life and animation to these noble games ! Throw wreaths of fadeless flowers to the victors In the race and in the strife Create in our breasts, hearts of steel ! In thy light, plains, mountains and seas Shine in a roseate hue and form a vast temple To which all nations throng to adore thee Oh immortal spirit of antiquity ! English sung version Olympian flame immortal Whose beacon lights our way Emblaze our hearts with the fires of hope On this momentous day As now we come across the world To share these Games of old Let all the flags of every land In brotherhood unfold Sing out each nation, voices strong Rise up in harmony All hail our brave Olympians With strains of victory Olympic light burn on and on O'er seas and mountains and plains Unite, inspire, bring honor To these ascending games May valor reign victorious Along the path of golden way As tomorrow 's new champions now come forth Rising to the fervent spirit of the game Let splendour pervade each noble deed Crowned with glory and fame And let fraternity and fellowship Surround the soul of every nation Oh flame, eternal in your firmament so bright Illuminate us with your everlasting light That grace and beauty and magnificence Shine like the sun Blazing above Bestow on us your honor, truth and love Note : This version, although often performed at opening / closing ceremonies, appears to enjoy far less exposure than the original. Hence its words may be determined only by listening to performances ; correspondents will most probably disagree on the correct form. An alternate ending to the lyrics ( used at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles games ) was `` Bestow on us the wondrous prize of honor, truth and love. '' and at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London games was to short the English lyrics to the ending. This version was sung at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. French sung version Esprit antique et éternel, créateur auguste De la beauté, de la grandeur et de la vérité Descends ici, parais, brille comme l'éclair, Dans la gloire de la terre et de ton ciel. Dans la course et la lutte et le poids Des nobles jeux éclaire l'élan, Prépare la couronne Faite de la branche immortelle, Et donne au corps la force De l'acier et la dignité. Les campagnes, les monts, Les mers brillent autour de toi, Comme un grand temple fait De pourpre et de blancheur, Et dans le temple ici accourent tous les peuples Pour se prosterner devant toi, Esprit antique et éternel. If the anthem is to be performed in English, then the English sung version is used, which has been usually in English - speaking countries. If it is to be performed in a language other than English or Greek, then the original version is translated to the language it is to be performed but in the 2008 Beijing games, Greek was also sung instead of Chinese and in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, English was also sung instead of Portuguese. The only Olympic games in which lyrics of the English version were used in translation were the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Donovan Seidle, associate music director during the games, arranged the anthem, translating some of the stanzas to French in recognition of the official bilingualism in Canada. Languages in which anthem was performed The anthem has been recorded and performed in many different languages, usually as a result of the hosting of either form of the Games in various countries. The IOC does n't require that the anthem be performed in either English or Greek. But in the 2008 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing, China, Greek was sung instead of the host country 's official language, Mandarin. Also in the 2016 Olympic opening ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, English was also sung instead of host country 's official language, Portuguese. Olympics City Language Performed Notes 1896 Summer Athens, Greece Greek The anthem was performed for the first time at the opening ceremony. 1960 Winter Squaw Valley, United States English This was the first time that the Olympic Hymn was performed since the Athens 1896 games. 1960 Summer Rome, Italy Italian 1964 Winter Innsbruck, Austria German 1964 Summer Tokyo, Japan Instrumental ( opening ) Japanese ( closing ) The anthem was sung in Japanese at the closing ceremony. 1968 Winter Grenoble, France French 1968 Summer Mexico City, Mexico Spanish 1972 Winter Sapporo, Japan Japanese 1972 Summer Munich, West Germany Instrumental An instrumental arrangement was used during the opening and closing ceremonies. 1976 Winter Innsbruck, Austria German and Latin 1976 Summer Montreal, Canada Greek The anthem was sung in Greek. 1980 Winter Lake Placid, United States English 1980 Summer Moscow, Soviet Union Russian ( opening ) Greek ( closing ) The anthem was sung in Russian at the opening ceremony then in Greek at the closing ceremony. 1984 Winter Sarajevo, Yugoslavia Serbo - Croatian 1984 Summer Los Angeles, United States English 1988 Winter Calgary, Canada Greek The anthem was sung in Greek. 1988 Summer Seoul, South Korea Korean 1992 Winter Albertville, France Instrumental The instrumental version of the anthem was played. 1992 Summer Barcelona, Spain Catalan / French ( opening ) Spanish, English ( closing ) At the opening ceremony, Alfredo Kraus sang the anthem 's first two stanzas in Catalan and the rest of the anthem in Spanish and French. At the closing ceremony, Plácido Domingo sang it in both Spanish and English lyrics. 1994 Winter Lillehammer, Norway Norwegian Sung at both the opening and closing ceremonies by Sissel Kyrkjebø with the Children 's chorus. 1996 Summer Atlanta, United States English Performed at the Opening Ceremony by the 300 voices of the Centennial Olympic Choir with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and at the Closing Ceremony by Jennifer Larmore and the Morehouse College Glee Club with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. 1998 Winter Nagano, Japan Japanese Performed by the Nagano Festival Orchestra and sung by the Nagano City Children 's Chorus Group in Japanese. 2000 Summer Sydney, Australia Greek ( opening ) English ( closing ) These were the first Olympics until 2018 Winter Olympics in which the anthem was conducted in both languages preferred by the IOC. At the opening ceremony, performed in Greek by the Millennium Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in recognition of the substantial Greek population of Australia. At closing ceremony, performed in English by Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny. 2002 Winter Salt Lake City, United States English Sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Opening Ceremony and by Laura Garff - Lewis at the Closing Ceremony. 2004 Summer Athens, Greece Greek In Greek ; sung to the arrangement of John Psathas. 2006 Winter Turin, Italy Instrumental At these Olympics, an abbreviated version was performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies. 2008 Summer Beijing, China Greek The anthem was sung in Greek at both the opening ceremony and closing ceremony. 2010 Winter Vancouver, Canada English and French This was the only Olympics that the anthem was performed in both of the official languages of the Olympics. This was done to reflect the official bilingualism in Canada. Measha Brueggergosman at the opening ceremony and Ben Heppner at the closing ceremony sang the first two, the fourth, and sixth stanzas in English and the remainder in French. 2010 Youth Singapore Greek The anthem was sung in Greek. 2012 Youth Innsbruck, Austria Instrumental The instrumental version of the anthem was played at both opening and closing ceremonies. 2012 Summer London, United Kingdom Instrumental ( opening ) English ( closing ) Instrumental version played in the opening ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Sung in English at the closing ceremony by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the London Welsh Rugby Club choir with short lyrics. 2014 Winter Sochi, Russian Federation Russian ( opening ) Instrumental ( closing ) Sung in Russian in the same translation as in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It performed by Anna Netrebko with the Sretensky Monastery Male Choir at the opening ceremony. The Instrumental version which also played at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band was used at the closing ceremony. 2014 Youth Nanjing, China Instrumental The Instrumental version played at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band was used at both the opening and closing ceremonies. 2016 Youth Lillehammer, Norway Norwegian A choral version was sung in Norwegian at both opening and closing ceremonies using the same lyrics from the 1994 Winter Olympics 2016 Summer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil English The anthem was sung in English at both opening ceremony and closing ceremony by the More Project Youth Choir from Niteroi, a city from Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. 2018 Winter Pyeongchang, South Korea Greek ( opening ) English ( Closing ) The first Olympics since 2000 Summer Olympics, in Sydney, Australia, and the only Winter Olympics so far in which the anthem was performed in both of the languages preferred by the IOC. It was performed in Greek by Sumi Hwang at the opening ceremony and in English by 11 year old Oh Yeon - joon at the closing ceremony. 2018 Youth Buenos Aires, Argentina Spanish ( Opening ) Greek ( Closing ) 2020 Youth Lausanne, Switzerland 2020 Summer Tokyo, Japan 2022 Winter Beijing, China 2024 Summer Paris, France 2028 Summer Los Angeles, United States See also Olympic symbols References Jump up ^ `` Olympic Anthem Symbolism '' ( PDF ). LA84 Foundation. Jump up ^ Olympic Anthem Los Angeles 1984 Opening Ceremony ( video ). ^ Jump up to : Measha Sings the Olympic Hymn. mp4 ( video ). ^ Jump up to : Lederman, Marsha ( 17 February 2010 ). `` More French in Closing Ceremonies, Executive Producer Says ''. The Globe and Mail. p. S1. Jump up ^ Dave Pierce, Donovan Seidle ( 2010 ). Sounds of Vancouver 2010 : Opening Ceremony Commemorative Album ( CD ). Jump up ^ Tokyo Olympiad Closing Ceremony digest ( video ). 4 : 38 - 5 : 14 minutes in. Jump up ^ Olympische Hymne 72 Olympic anthem 1972 ( video ). Jump up ^ Olympische Spiele München 1972 : Schlussfeier ( video ). Jump up ^ Montreal 1976 Olympics Music - Olympic Hymn ( video ). Jump up ^ 1980 Olympic Closing Ceremony -- Part IV Olympic Anthem & Extinguishing of the Flame ( video ). Jump up ^ 1988 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Part 22 ( video ). Jump up ^ 1988 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Part 23 ( video ). Jump up ^ drapeau et flamme olympiques / Albertville ' 92 ( video ). Jump up ^ Barcelona 1992 Opening Ceremony -- Entrance of Olympic Flag -- Olympic Anthem ( video ). Jump up ^ Placido Domingo -- Olimpic Closing Ceremony Barcelona 1992 on YouTube Jump up ^ The Olympic Hymn ( video ). Jump up ^ Olympic Anthem Athens 2004 ( video ). Jump up ^ Olympic Anthem and Torino 2006 Anthem Claudio Baglioni 2006 ( video ). Jump up ^ Olympics Beijing 2008 -- Hasteamento da bandeira olímpica -- Pequim 2008 ( video ). Jump up ^ Opening Ceremony - London 2012 Olympic Games ( video ). Jump up ^ London Hand Over To Rio ( Raising Of The Flags ) - Closing Ceremony London 2012 Olympics ( video ). Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkvUckI-WH8&t=57m48s External links The original score of the Olympic Hymn, transcribed at Wikisource Olympic symbols Olympic emblem Olympic flag Olympic flame Final torchbearers Torch relays designs Olympic Hymn Olympic mascot Olympic motto Olympic Oath Olympic Order Olympic poster Olive wreath Olympics portal Music portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olympic_Hymn&oldid=833144529 '' Categories : Compositions by Spyridon Samaras 1896 compositions Anthems Athletic culture based on Greek antiquity Cantatas Olympic symbols Olympic theme songs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from August 2012 All articles needing additional references Use dmy dates from August 2012 Articles containing Greek - language text Articles containing French - language text Articles with hAudio microformats Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Català Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 27 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 March 2018, at 22 : 09. 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Question: what language is the olympic anthem sang in
Answer: Greek