Why are the Olympic rings the colors that they are?

Colors on the Olympic flag do not represent a specific continent or country. Rather, the colors on the flag are those that can be found in all countries that participate in the Olympics.

The Olympic flag places the Olympic rings on a white background. As every national flag in the world contains at least one of the flag's six colors (black, blue, green, red, yellow, white), this further symbolizes the universality of the Olympics.

Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, explains the meaning of the flag: "The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time." (1931) For the source and more detailed information concerning this issue, click on the related links section indicated below. The Olympic rings represent the five continents brought together by the Olympic movement.