# Olympic Hymn > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Olympic_Hymn > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Olympic_Hymn.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Hymn > Source revision: 1355531893 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Official anthem for the Olympic Games For the work by Bernstein, see [Olympic Hymn (Bernstein)](/source/Olympic_Hymn_(Bernstein)). For the work by Strauss, see [Olympische Hymne](/source/Olympische_Hymne). Olympic Anthem Olympic Hymn Official anthem of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee Also known as Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος (Greek) Hymne Olympique (French) Lyrics Kostis Palamas Music Spyridon Samaras, 1896 Adopted 1958 The **Olympic Hymn** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος, pronounced [\[oli(m)bi̯aˈkos ˈimnos\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Greek)), also known as the **Olympic Anthem**, is a [choral](/source/Choral) [cantata](/source/Cantata) by opera composer [Spyridon Samaras](/source/Spyridon_Samaras) (1861–1917), with [Demotic Greek](/source/Demotic_Greek) lyrics by [Greek](/source/Greeks) poet [Kostis Palamas](/source/Kostis_Palamas). Both poet and composer were the choice of the Greek [Demetrius Vikelas](/source/Demetrius_Vikelas), who was the first [President of the International Olympic Committee](/source/Presidents_of_the_International_Olympic_Committee).[1] ## History The anthem was performed for the first time for the ceremony of opening of the first edition at the [1896 Summer Olympics](/source/1896_Summer_Olympics) in [Athens](/source/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](/source/International_Olympic_Committee) in 1958 at the [54th Session of the IOC](/source/List_of_IOC_meetings) in [Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan.[2] The anthem was performed in [English](/source/English_language) at the [1960 Winter Olympics](/source/1960_Winter_Olympics) in Squaw Valley and since then it has been played at each [Olympic Games](/source/Olympic_Games): during the [opening ceremony](/source/Olympic_Games_ceremony#Opening) when the [Olympic flag](/source/Olympic_flag) is hoisted, and during the [closing ceremony](/source/Olympic_Games_ceremony#Closing) when the [Olympic flag](/source/Olympic_flag) is lowered.[3] The hymn was also sung during the [Olympic flame](/source/Olympic_flame) lighting ceremony before the national anthems were sung. The Olympic Hymn was also used, along with the [Olympic flag](/source/Olympic_flag), to represent the [Unified Team](/source/Unified_Team_at_the_Olympics) of former Soviet states at the [1992 Winter Olympics](/source/1992_Winter_Olympics) and the [1992 Summer Olympics](/source/1992_Summer_Olympics). ## Lyrics ### Greek original Greek script Latin script IPA transcription[a] Literal translation[2] 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. 𝄇 Κάμποι, βουνά και θάλασσες φέγγουνε μαζί σου σαν ένας λευκοπόρφυρος μέγας ναός. 𝄆 Και τρέχει στο ναό εδώ προσκυνητής σου 𝄇 𝄆 Αρχαίο Πνεύμα αθάνατο, κάθε λαός. 𝄇 Archaeo Pneuma athanato, agne patera tū oraeū, tū megalū, cae tū alēthinū Cateba, phanerōsū ci astrapse edō pera stē doxa tēs dicēs sū gēs cae t' ūranū. Sto dromo cae sto palema cae sto lithari Stōn eugenōn agōnōn lampse tēn ormē Cae me to amaranto stephanōse clōnari 𝄆 cae siderenio plase ci axio to cormi. 𝄇 Campoe, būna cae thalasses pheghūne mazi sū san enas leucoporphyros megas naos 𝄆 Cae trechī sto nao edō proscynētēs sū 𝄇 𝄆 Archaeo Pneuma athanato, cathe laos. 𝄇 [aɾˈçe.o ˈpnev.ma‿aˈθa.na.to | aɣˈne paˈte.ɾa |] [tu‿oˈɾe.u | tu meˈɣa.lu | ce tu‿a.li.θiˈnu ǁ] [kaˈte.va fa.neˈɾo.su | c‿ˈa.stɾa.pse‿eˈðo ˈpe.ɾa |] [sti ˈðo.ksa tiz‿ðiˈcis su | ʝis ce t‿u.ra.ˈnu ǁ] [sto ˈðɾo.mo ce sto ˈpa.le.ma | ce sto liˈθa.ɾi |] [ston ev.ʝeˈnon aˈɣo.non | ˈla(m).pse tin oɾˈmi ǁ] [ce me to‿aˈma.ɾan.do steˈfa.no.se kloˈna.ɾi |] 𝄆 [ce si.ðeˈɾe.ɲo ˈpla.se ce‿ˈa.ksi̯o to koɾˈmi ǁ] 𝄇 [ˈka.(m)bi vuˈna ce ˈθa.la.ses ˈfe.gu.ne maˈzi su |] [san ˈe.naz‿lef.koˈpoɾ.fi.ɾos | ˈme.ɣaz‿naˈos ǁ] 𝄆 [ce ˈtɾe.çi sto naˈo eˈðo | pɾo.sci.niˈtis su |] 𝄇 𝄆 [aɾˈçe.o ˈpnev.ma‿aˈθa.na.to | 𝄆 ˈka.θe laˈos ǁ] 𝄇 O Ancient Spirit immortal, pure father of the beautiful, the great and the true, Descend, appear, and sparkle over here to the glory of thine own earth and heaven. 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. 𝄇 Plains, mountains and seas shine with thee like a great white-purple temple. 𝄆 And thy pilgrim is running to this here temple, 𝄇 𝄆 O Ancient Spirit immortal, of every people. 𝄇 ### English 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[b] ## List of performances at the Olympics Before 2016, the anthem had been recorded and performed in many different languages, usually as a result of the hosting of either form of the Games in various countries. However, in the 2008 and 2022 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 and closing ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, English was sung instead of host country's official language, Brazilian Portuguese. Since 2018, the IOC requires that the anthem be performed in either English, Greek or instrumentally (although this is optional depending on the organizer of an Olympics).[5][6] 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[citation needed] 1964 Summer Tokyo, Japan Japanese The anthem was sung in Japanese. 1968 Winter Grenoble, France French[citation needed] 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 Greek (opening) Instrumental (closing) In the opening ceremony, the anthem was sung in Greek. In the closing ceremony, an instrumental arrangement was used. In both cases, instead of the third verse, the first verse was performed once again. 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. The anthem was performed by the Red Army Choir and Bolshoi Theater Chorus. 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, Republic of Korea Korean The anthem was performed in Korean. 1992 Winter Albertville, France Instrumental The anthem was performed instrumentally. 1992 Summer Barcelona, Spain Catalan, Spanish, and French (opening) Spanish and 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 by Sissel Kyrkjebø with the children's choir. 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 in which the anthem was conducted in both languages the IOC require it be performed in.[5] 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 instrumentally. 2008 Summer Beijing, China Greek The anthem was sung in Greek by the children's choir. 2010 Winter Vancouver, Canada English and French These were the first Olympics that the anthem was performed in both of its official languages. This was done to reflect the official bilingualism in Canada.[5] 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 anthem was performed instrumentally. 2012 Summer London, United Kingdom Instrumental (opening) English (closing) Performed instrumentally in the opening ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. During the closing ceremony, it was performed in English by the London Welsh Male Voice and Rugby Club choirs. 2014 Winter Sochi, Russia Russian (opening) Instrumental (closing) Sung in Russian in the same translation as in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, by Anna Netrebko with the Sretensky Monastery Men's 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 Performed instrumentally (at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) at both the opening and closing ceremonies. 2016 Youth Lillehammer, Norway Norwegian A choral version was sung in Norwegian using the same lyrics from the 1994 Winter Olympics. 2016 Summer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil English The anthem was sung in English by the More Project Youth Choir from Niterói, a city from the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. 2018 Winter Pyeongchang, South Korea Greek (Opening) English (Closing) The first Winter Olympics in which the anthem was performed in both of the languages the IOC requires it be performed in. It was performed in Greek by Hwang Su-mi at the opening ceremony and in English by then 11-year-old Oh Yeon-joon at the closing ceremony. 2018 Youth Buenos Aires, Argentina English Performed by Luna Sujatovich and Melina Moguilevsky respectively at the opening and closing ceremonies.[7] 2020 Youth Lausanne, Switzerland English and French (opening) Instrumental (closing) A bilingual version was sung at the opening ceremony by the children's choir "Les Petits Chanteurs de Lausanne". These were the second Olympics (first Youth Olympics) that the anthem was performed in both of its official languages. 2020 Summer Tokyo, Japan English Sung in English at the opening ceremony by both the students of Fukushima Koriyama and Toshimagaoka Girls' high schools and by Tomotaka Okamoto at the closing ceremony.[8] 2022 Winter Beijing, China Greek The anthem was sung in Greek by 40 children from Malanhua'er Children's Choir from Hebei Province. 2024 Youth Gangwon, South Korea English Performed by the Gangneung Junior Choir at the opening and closing ceremony, with 5 alumni of the original choir at the closing ceremony. 2024 Summer Paris, France Greek (opening) English (closing) The second Summer Olympics in which the anthem was conducted in both languages the IOC require it be performed in. Performed in Greek by the Radio France Choir and the Maîtrise de Radio France at the opening ceremony, and in English by the Maîtrise de Fontainebleau at the closing ceremony. 2026 Winter Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy English (opening) Greek (closing) The second Winter Olympics in which the anthem was performed in both of the languages the IOC requires it be performed in. 2026 Youth Dakar, Senegal 2028 Youth Dolomites–Valtellina, Italy 2028 Summer Los Angeles, United States 2030 Winter French Alps, France 2032 Summer Brisbane, Australia 2034 Winter Utah, United States ## See also - [Olympic symbols](/source/Olympic_symbols) - [List of Olympic songs and anthems](/source/List_of_Olympic_songs_and_anthems) - [Anthems of international organizations](/source/Anthems_of_international_organizations) - [Earth anthem](/source/Earth_anthem) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** See [Help:IPA/Greek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Greek) and [Modern Greek phonology](/source/Modern_Greek_phonology). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** This version, although often performed at opening and 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 [Los Angeles Olympics](/source/1984_Summer_Olympics)) was, "Bestow on us the wondrous prize of honor, truth and love."[4] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["The oldest of the modern Olympic emblems is an anthem!"](https://olympics.com/ioc/news/the-oldest-of-the-modern-olympic-emblems-is-an-anthem/). *Olympic News*. International Olympic Committee. 12 January 2022. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-IOC_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-IOC_2-1) ["Olympic Anthem - Official Olympic Games Hymn, Music & Lyrics"](https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-anthem). *International Olympic Committee*. Retrieved 24 March 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Olympic Anthem Symbolism"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120616041217/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OlympicCurriculum/lang4.pdf) (PDF). [LA84 Foundation](/source/LA84_Foundation). Archived from [the original](http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OlympicCurriculum/lang4.pdf) (PDF) on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2009. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Games of the XXIII Olympiad, Opening Ceremonies, July 28, 1984](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llCzm7MB-aQ) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_video_(identifier)) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Languages_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Languages_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Languages_7-2) Lederman, Marsha (17 February 2010). "More French in Closing Ceremonies, Executive Producer Says". *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*. p. S1. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Garcia, Maira (10 February 2018). ["Who Were the Singers at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics?"](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/arts/music/winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-singers.html). *The New York Times*. The International Olympic Committee requires that the anthem be performed only in Greek or English. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-closingceremony2018yog_9-0)** ["Buenos Aires 2018: Closing Ceremony"](https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1071183/buenos-aires-2018-closing-ceremony). insidethegames. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Recapping the Olympics closing ceremony: Bidding farewell to Summer Games in Tokyo"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/08/olympics-closing-ceremony-live-updates-summer-games-tokyo/5528617001/). *[USA Today](/source/USA_Today)*. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021. ## External links - The original score of the Olympic Hymn, [transcribed at Wikisource](https://wikisource.org/wiki/%E1%BD%88%CE%BB%CF%85%CE%BC%CF%80%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%E1%BD%B8%CF%82_%E1%BD%9D%CE%BC%CE%BD%CE%BF%CF%82) - [Philip Barker. The Anthem – Olympism's Oldest Symbol](https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll10/id/3474/) - [English lyrics](https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/olympic-hymn-what-is-it-and-what-are-its-lyrics/) - [A collection of recordings of the Olympic Hymn in various languages](http://www.nationalanthems.us/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1103577522/all) v t e Olympic symbols Olympic emblem Olympic flag Olympic flame Final torchbearers Torch relays designs Olympic mascot Olympic medal Olympic music Olympic Hymn Olympic motto Olympic Oath Olympic Order Olympic poster Olympic tattoo Olive wreath Olympic Games portal [Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Olympics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Olympics) - [Music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Music) Authority control databases International GND Other MusicBrainz work --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Olympic Hymn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Hymn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Hymn?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.