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{{Short description|Official anthem for the Olympic Games}}
{{for-multi|the work by Bernstein|Olympic Hymn (Bernstein)|the work by Strauss|Olympische Hymne}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2012|reason=entire paragraphs without attribution}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox anthem
|title          = Olympic Hymn
|transcription  = Olympic Anthem
|alt_title      = {{langx|el|Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος}}
|alt_title_2    = {{langx|fr|Hymne Olympique|italic=no}}
|image          = Olympic Hymn title.jpg
|prefix         = Official
|country        = the [[Olympic Games]] and the [[International Olympic Committee]]
|author         = [[Kostis Palamas]]
|composer       = [[Spyridon Samaras]]
|music_date     = 1896
|adopted        = 1958
|sound          = 
|sound_title    = 
}}
The '''Olympic Hymn''' ({{langx|el|Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος}}, {{IPA|el|oli(m)bi̯aˈkos ˈimnos|pron}}), also known as the '''Olympic Anthem''', is a [[choral]] [[cantata]] by opera composer [[Spyridon Samaras]] (1861–1917), with [[Demotic Greek]] lyrics by [[Greeks|Greek]] poet [[Kostis Palamas]]. Both poet and composer were the choice of the Greek [[Demetrius Vikelas]], who was the first [[Presidents of the International Olympic Committee|President of the International Olympic Committee]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/the-oldest-of-the-modern-olympic-emblems-is-an-anthem/|title=The oldest of the modern Olympic emblems is an anthem!|website=Olympic News|date=12 January 2022|publisher=International Olympic Committee}}</ref>

==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 [[List of IOC meetings|54th Session of the IOC]] in [[Tokyo]], Japan.<ref name="IOC">{{Cite web |title=Olympic Anthem - Official Olympic Games Hymn, Music & Lyrics |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-anthem |access-date=24 March 2023 |website=International Olympic Committee}}</ref> The anthem was performed in [[English language|English]] at the [[1960 Winter Olympics]] in Squaw Valley and since then it has been played at each [[Olympic Games]]: during the [[Olympic Games ceremony#Opening|opening ceremony]] when the [[Olympic flag]] is hoisted, and during the [[Olympic Games ceremony#Closing|closing ceremony]] when the [[Olympic flag]] is lowered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OlympicCurriculum/lang4.pdf|title=Olympic Anthem Symbolism|publisher=[[LA84 Foundation]]|access-date=4 October 2009|archive-date=16 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616041217/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OlympicCurriculum/lang4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The hymn was also sung during the [[Olympic flame]] lighting ceremony before the national anthems were sung.

The Olympic Hymn was also used, along with the [[Olympic flag]], to represent the [[Unified Team at the Olympics|Unified Team]] of former Soviet states at the [[1992 Winter Olympics]] and the [[1992 Summer Olympics]].

==Lyrics==
{|class="wikitable"
!Greek original
!Greco-Roman orthography{{efn|See [[Romanization of Greek#Modern Greek|Romanization of Greek § Modern Greek]].}}
!Literal translation<ref name="IOC"/>
|- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem style="margin-left: 1em;">{{lang|el|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. 𝄇}}</poem>
|<poem style="margin-left: 1em;">{{transliteration|el|Archaéo Pnévma athánato, agné patéra
tou oréou, tou megálou ke tou alithinoú
Katéva, phanerósou ki ástrapse edó péra
sti dóxa tis dikís sou gis ke t'ouranoú.

Sto drómo ke sto pálema ke sto lithári
Ston evgenón agónon lámpse tin ormí.
Ke me to amáranto stephánose klonári
𝄆 ke siderénio pláse ke áxio to kormí. 𝄇

Kámpe, vouná ke thálasses phéngoune mazí sou
san énas lefkopórfyros mégas naós
𝄆 Ke tréchi sto naó edó proskynitís sou 𝄇
𝄆 Archaéo Pnévma athánato, káthe laós. 𝄇}}</poem>
|<poem style="margin-left: 1em;">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. 𝄇</poem>
|-
!colspan="3"|English sung version
|-
|style="border-right:none; vertical-align:top;"|
:Olympian flame immortal
:Whose beacon lights our way
:Emblaze our hearts with the fires of hope
:On this momentous day
:&nbsp;
:As now we come across the world
:To share these Games of old
:Let all the flags of every land
:In brotherhood unfold
:&nbsp;
:Sing out each nation, voices strong
:Rise up in harmony
:All hail our brave Olympians
:With strains of victory
:&nbsp;
:Olympic light burn on and on
:O'er seas and mountains and plains
:Unite, inspire, bring honor
:To these ascending games
|style="border-left:none; vertical-align:top;"|
:May valor reign victorious
:Along the path of golden way
:&nbsp;
: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
:&nbsp;
:And let fraternity and fellowship
:Surround the soul of every nation
:&nbsp;
:Oh flame, eternal in your firmament so bright
:Illuminate us with your everlasting light
:That grace and beauty and magnificence
:&nbsp;
:Shine like the sun
:Blazing above
:Bestow on us your honor, truth and love
|-
|colspan="3"|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 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles Olympics]]) was, "Bestow on us the wondrous prize of honor, truth and love."<ref>{{YouTube|id=llCzm7MB-aQ|title=Games of the XXIII Olympiad, Opening Ceremonies, July 28, 1984}}</ref>
|}

==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 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).<ref name=Languages>{{cite news|title=More French in Closing Ceremonies, Executive Producer Says|date= 17 February 2010|first=Marsha|last=Lederman|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|page=S1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Who Were the Singers at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics?|last=Garcia|first=Maira|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 10, 2018|quote=The International Olympic Committee requires that the anthem be performed only in Greek or English.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/arts/music/winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-singers.html}}</ref>
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Olympics!!City!!Language performed!!Notes
|-
|[[1896 Summer Olympics|1896 Summer]]||[[Athens]],<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece}}||[[Greek language|Greek]]|| The anthem was performed for the first time at the opening ceremony.
|-
|[[1960 Winter Olympics|1960 Winter]]|| [[Squaw Valley Ski Resort|Squaw Valley]],<br />{{flag|United States|1959}} || [[English language|English]] || This was the first time that the Olympic Hymn was performed since the Athens 1896 games.
|-
|[[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Summer]]|| [[Rome]],<br />{{ITA}} || [[Italian language|Italian]] ||
|-
|[[1964 Winter Olympics|1964 Winter]]|| [[Innsbruck]],<br />{{AUT}} || [[German language|German]]{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} ||
|-
|[[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Summer]]|| [[Tokyo]],<br />{{flag|Japan|1870}}|| [[Japanese language|Japanese]] || The anthem was sung in Japanese.
|-
|[[1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter]]|| [[Grenoble]],<br />{{FRA}} || [[French language|French]]{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} ||
|-
|[[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Summer]]|| [[Mexico City]],<br />{{MEX}} || [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ||
|-
|[[1972 Winter Olympics|1972 Winter]]|| [[Sapporo]],<br />{{flag|Japan|1870}}|| Japanese ||
|-
|[[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Summer]]|| [[Munich]],<br />{{FRG}} || Instrumental || An instrumental arrangement was used during the opening and closing ceremonies.
|-
|[[1976 Winter Olympics|1976 Winter]]|| [[Innsbruck]],<br />{{AUT}} || Greek (opening)<br>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 Olympics|1976 Summer]]|| [[Montreal]],<br />{{CAN}} || Greek || The anthem was sung in Greek.
|-
|[[1980 Winter Olympics|1980 Winter]]|| [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]],<br />{{USA}} || English ||
|-
|[[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Summer]]|| [[Moscow]],<br />{{URS}} || [[Russian language|Russian]] (opening)<br>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 [[Rosgvardia Academic Song and Dance Ensemble|Red Army Choir]] and Bolshoi Theater Chorus.
|-
|[[1984 Winter Olympics|1984 Winter]]|| [[Sarajevo]],<br />{{YUG}} || [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]] ||
|-
|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer]]|| [[Los Angeles]],<br />{{USA}} || English ||
|-
|[[1988 Winter Olympics|1988 Winter]]|| [[Calgary]],<br />{{CAN}} || Greek || The anthem was sung in Greek.
|-
|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Summer]]|| [[Seoul]],<br />{{ROK|1984}} || [[Korean language|Korean]] ||The anthem was performed in Korean.
|-
|[[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Winter]]|| [[Albertville]],<br />{{FRA}} || Instrumental || The anthem was performed instrumentally.
|-
|[[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Summer]]|| [[Barcelona]],<br />{{ESP}} || [[Catalan language|Catalan]], Spanish, and French (opening) <br>Spanish and English (closing)  || At the opening ceremony, [[Alfredo Kraus]] sang the anthem's first two [[stanza]]s 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 Olympics|1994 Winter]]|| [[Lillehammer]],<br />{{NOR}} || [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] || Sung by [[Sissel Kyrkjebø]] with the children's choir.
|-
|[[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Summer]]|| [[Atlanta]],<br />{{USA}} || 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 Olympics|1998 Winter]]|| [[Nagano (city)|Nagano]],<br />{{flag|Japan|1870}}|| Japanese || Performed by the Nagano Festival Orchestra and sung by the Nagano City Children's Chorus Group in Japanese.
|-
|[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer]]|| [[Sydney]],<br />{{AUS}} || 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.<ref name=Languages/> At the [[2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|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 Australians|Greek population of Australia]]. At closing ceremony, performed in English by Australian soprano [[Yvonne Kenny]].
|-
|[[2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Winter]]|| [[Salt Lake City]],<br />{{USA}} || English ||  Sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Opening Ceremony and by Laura Garff-Lewis at the Closing Ceremony. 
|-
|[[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer]]|| [[Athens]],<br />{{GRE}} || Greek || In Greek; sung to the arrangement of [[John Psathas]].
|-
|[[2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Winter]]|| [[Turin]],<br />{{ITA}} || Instrumental|| At these Olympics, an abbreviated version was performed instrumentally.
|-
|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer]]|| [[Beijing]],<br />{{CHN}} || Greek || The anthem was sung in Greek by the children's choir.
|-
|[[2010 Winter Olympics|2010 Winter]]|| [[Vancouver]],<br />{{CAN}} || 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]].<ref name=Languages/> [[Measha Brueggergosman]] at the [[2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] and [[Ben Heppner]] at the [[2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]] sang the first two, the fourth, and sixth stanzas in English and the remainder in French.
|-
|[[2010 Youth Olympics|2010 Youth]]|| {{SIN}} || Greek || The anthem was sung in Greek.
|-
|[[2012 Winter Youth Olympics|2012 Youth]]|| [[Innsbruck]],<br />{{AUT}} || Instrumental || The anthem was performed instrumentally.
|-
|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Summer]]|| [[London]],<br />{{GBR}} || Instrumental (opening) <br>English (closing) || Performed instrumentally in the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Grimethorpe Colliery Band]]. During the [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]], it was performed in English by the London Welsh Male Voice and Rugby Club choirs.
|-
|[[2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Winter]]|| [[Sochi]],<br />{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Russia]] || Russian (opening) <br>Instrumental (closing)|| Sung in Russian in the same translation as in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, by [[Anna Netrebko]] with the [[Sretensky Monastery (Moscow)|Sretensky Monastery]] Men's Choir at the opening ceremony. The Instrumental version which also played at the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|London 2012 Opening Ceremony]] by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Grimethorpe Colliery Band]] was used at the [[2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]].
|-
|[[2014 Summer Youth Olympics|2014 Youth]]|| [[Nanjing]],<br />{{CHN}} || Instrumental || Performed instrumentally (at the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|London 2012 Opening Ceremony]] by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Grimethorpe Colliery Band]]) at both the opening and closing ceremonies.                                                                                       
|-
|[[2016 Winter Youth Olympics|2016 Youth]]|| [[Lillehammer]],<br />{{NOR}} || Norwegian || A choral version was sung in Norwegian using the same lyrics from the [[1994 Winter Olympics]].
|-
|[[2016 Summer Olympics|2016 Summer]]|| [[Rio de Janeiro]],<br />{{BRA}} || 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 Olympics|2018 Winter]]|| [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]],<br />{{KOR}} || Greek (Opening)<br/>English (Closing)  || The only Winter Olympics so far in which the anthem was performed in both of the languages the IOC requires it be performed in. It was performed in Greek by [[Sumi Hwang|Hwang Su-mi]] at the [[2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] and in English by then 11-year-old Oh Yeon-joon at the closing ceremony. 
|-
|[[2018 Summer Youth Olympics|2018 Youth]]|| [[Buenos Aires]],<br />{{ARG}} || English || Performed by Luna Sujatovich and Melina Moguilevsky respectively at the opening and closing ceremonies.<ref name="closingceremony2018yog">{{cite news |title=Buenos Aires 2018: Closing Ceremony |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1071183/buenos-aires-2018-closing-ceremony |access-date=11 November 2018 |agency=insidethegames |date=18 October 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[2020 Winter Youth Olympics|2020 Youth]]|| [[Lausanne]],<br />{{SUI}} || English and French (opening) <br>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 Olympics|2020 Summer]]|| [[Tokyo]],<br />{{JPN}} || English || Sung in English at the [[2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] by both the students of [[:ja:福島県立郡山高等学校|Fukushima Koriyama]] and [[:ja:豊島岡女子学園高等学校|Toshimagaoka Girls']] high schools and by [[Tomotaka Okamoto (singer)|Tomotaka Okamoto]] at the [[2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/08/olympics-closing-ceremony-live-updates-summer-games-tokyo/5528617001/|title=Recapping the Olympics closing ceremony: Bidding farewell to Summer Games in Tokyo|work=[[USA Today]]|date=8 August 2021|access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref>
|-                                                                                                       
|[[2022 Winter Olympics|2022 Winter]]|| [[Beijing]],<br />{{CHN}} || Greek || The anthem was sung in Greek by 40 children from Malanhua'er Children's Choir from Hebei Province.
|-
|[[2024 Winter Youth Olympics|2024 Youth]]|| [[Gangwon Province, South Korea|Gangwon]],<br />{{KOR}} || 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 Olympics|2024 Summer]]|| [[Paris]],<br />{{FRA}} || Greek (opening)<br />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 Olympics|2026 Winter]]|| [[Milan]]–[[Cortina d'Ampezzo]],<br />{{ITA}} || || 
|- 
|[[2026 Summer Youth Olympics|2026 Youth]]|| [[Dakar]],<br />{{SEN}} || || 
|-
|[[2028 Winter Youth Olympics|2028 Winter]]|| [[Dolomites]]–[[Valtellina]],<br />{{ITA}} || || 
|- 
|[[2028 Summer Olympics|2028 Summer]]|| [[Los Angeles]],<br />{{USA}} || ||
|-
|[[2030 Winter Olympics|2030 Winter]]|| [[French Alps]],<br />{{FRA}} || 
|-
|[[2032 Summer Olympics|2032 Summer]]|| [[Brisbane]],<br />{{AUS}} || ||
|-
|[[2034 Winter Olympics|2034 Winter]]|| [[Salt Lake City]],<br />{{USA}} || ||
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Olympic symbols]]
* [[Anthems of international organizations]]
* [[Earth anthem]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* The original score of the Olympic Hymn, [[OldWikisource:Ὀλυμπιακὸς Ὕμνος|transcribed at Wikisource]]
* [https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll10/id/3474/ Philip Barker. The Anthem – Olympism's Oldest Symbol]
* [https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/olympic-hymn-what-is-it-and-what-are-its-lyrics/ English lyrics]
* [http://www.nationalanthems.us/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1103577522/all A collection of recordings of the Olympic Hymn in various languages]

{{Olympic symbols}}
{{Portal bar|Olympics|Music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anthems of sports organizations]]
[[Category:Compositions by Spyridon Samaras]]
[[Category:1896 cantatas]]
[[Category:Anthems]]
[[Category:Athletic culture based on Greek antiquity|Hymn]]
[[Category:Olympic symbols|Anthem]]
[[Category:Olympic theme songs]]
[[Category:Compositions in B-flat major]]
[[Category:Kostis Palamas]]