Ceremonies such as those to mark the opening and closing of Olympic or Paralympic Games are very memorable moments.
The first big events for London 2012 were the Handover Ceremonies which happened during the Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During these Ceremonies, London officially became the next Host City.
Find out more about the Handover Ceremonies and other Olympic and Paralympic traditions below:
Handover Ceremonies
A Handover Ceremony takes place during the Closing Ceremony at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The Handover normally lasts about fifteen minutes. At the beginning of the Handover, the Olympic or Paralympic Flag is taken down in the stadium and passed to the Mayor of the next Host City. After that, the new Host City puts on a cultural performance which is designed to show the world how exciting the next Games will be.
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies
These Ceremonies traditionally mark the start and end of the Games. There are separate events for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The Opening Ceremony follows an order of events involving the entrance of the athletes, speeches, the raising of the flag, lighting of the torch and then some world-class entertainment to celebrate the start of the Games.
The Closing Ceremony also follows an order, where anthems are played, the flag is passed to the Mayor of the next Host City and the flame is put out. Then the party begins – with athletes, spectators and officials celebrating the end of a successful Games. The plans have not been confirmed for 2012 and will be kept top secret.
The Torch Relays
The Olympic Torch Relay and Paralympic Torch Relay signal the start of each Games. The flame for the Olympic Torch Relay begins its journey in Olympia, Greece and in 2012, will make its journey through towns and cities across the UK to the Olympic Stadium in London.
Find out more about the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay
Find out more about the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay
The flame for the Paralympic Torch Relay starts its journey in different places each Games and normally follows a different route. It hasn’t yet been decided where the Paralympic Flame will be lit in 2012.
When the Flame travels between countries it goes by train or plane, but when it arrives at a city that will take part in the Relay, it is carried by a torchbearer, who runs or travels holding the Flame up high.
The moment the Torch enters the stadium is the highlight of the Opening Ceremony. At each Games, one person is chosen to be the final torchbearer, which is a very important job. The final torchbearer does a lap of the Stadium and then uses the Flame to light the Cauldron. The Flame stays lit until the Closing Ceremony.
At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Cauldron was lit by Olympic Gymnast, Li Ning, and the Paralympic Cauldron was lit by Chinese triple jumper, Hou Bin.
Medal Ceremonies
The medal ceremony takes place soon after an event finishes. The athletes who came first, second and third stand on a podium, with the winner in the middle.
Their names are called out and the medals are given to them by an official. The flags of the athletes’ countries are raised and the national anthem of the gold medallist’s nation is played.
There is a gold, silver and bronze medal for each of the athletes. The medals have to be at least 60mm in diameter and 3mm thick. The medal designs are different for each Games.
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