List of people who have kept the Olympic flag

Giuseppe Sala (mayor of Milan) is one of the people that currently keeps the Beijing flag (the other person that kept the Beijing flag is mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Gianpietro Ghedina) for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo
Mayor Anne Hidalgo currently keeps the Tokyo flag for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
Mayor Soham El Wardini currently keeps the Singapore flag for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar
Governor Choi Moon-soon currently keeps the Innsbruck flag for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event featuring both summer and winter sports, held every two years with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. During Olympic Games closing ceremonies, the sitting president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) received the flag from the current mayor of the current host city to the current mayor of the next host city. The current Olympic Charter requires this person to be the mayor of the next host city, although this has not always been the case. This article lists the people who have had the ceremonial duty to pass the Olympic flag from one to another for them to keep until the closing ceremony of each games.

Closing ceremony

The IOC factsheet on the closing ceremony states: "The mayors of the current host city and next host city join the IOC President. The mayor of the host city hands the flag to the IOC President, who hands it on to the mayor of the next host city." The Olympic Charter sets out the exact drill that the flag are to be handed by the mayor of the current host city to the another of the next host city. Three flags were used at the Summer Olympics, the first called the Antwerp flag that was used from 1920 to 1984 when it showed signs of wear. The second is called the Seoul flag that was used from 1988 to 2012. In 2016, the Seoul flag was replaced by the Rio flag, which symbolizes the first edition of the Games that was held in South America. It was later renamed as the Tokyo flag in 2021 to symbolize the first Olympics to be postponed. In the Winter Games, the flag used is the PyeongChang flag, which was first used in 2018 to symbolize the first edition of the Winter Games held in mainland Asia. It was renamed as the Beijing flag in 2022 to symbolize the Winter Olympics hosted by a city that previously hosted the Summer Olympics. It replaced the Oslo flag that was used from 1952 to 2014. In some editions, a replica of it was used for conservation reasons. In the Summer Youth Olympic Games, the Singapore flag has been used since 2010, while in the Winter Youth Olympic Games, the Innsbruck flag is used. Also for conservation reasons, replicas are used.

With 5 years of keeping the Olympic flag for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, governor Yuriko Koike is the longest keeper of the flag. With 2 years of keeping the Olympic flag for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, mayor Audun Tron is the shortest keeper of the flag.

Keeper of the Summer Olympic flag

Year Games Host city Keeper of the Olympic flag Office of keeper Date
1920 VII Olympiad Belgium Antwerp, Belgium Jan De Vos Mayor of Antwerp 14 August 1920 – 12 September 1920
1924 VIII Olympiad France Paris, France Auguste Autrand Préfet of the Seine 12 September 1920 – 22 October 1922
Hippolyte Juillard 22 October 1922 – 27 July 1924
1928 IX Olympiad Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Willem de Vlugt Mayor of Amsterdam 27 July 1924 – 12 August 1928
1932 X Olympiad United States Los Angeles, United States George E. Cryer Mayor of Los Angeles 12 August 1928 – 1 July 1929
John Clinton Porter 1 July 1929 – 14 August 1932
1936 XI Olympiad Nazi Germany Berlin, Germany Heinrich Sahm Governing Mayor of Berlin 14 August 1932 – 19 December 1935
Oskar Maretzky 19 December 1935 – 16 August 1936
1940 XII Olympiad (cancelled) Japan Tokyo, Japan Ushizaka Toratan Mayor of Tokyo 16 August 1936 – 9 May 1937
Kobashi Ichita 9 May 1937 – 16 July 1938
Finland Helsinki, Finland Antti Tulenheimo Mayor of Helsinki 16 July 1938 – 25 November 1939
Olympic programs were suspended from 1939 to 1946 due to World War II
1948 XIV Olympiad United Kingdom London, Great Britain Lord Latham Leader of the London County Council September 1946 – 1947
Isaac Hayward 1947 – 14 August 1948
1952 XV Olympiad Finland Helsinki, Finland Eero Rydman Mayor of Helsinki 14 August 1948 – 3 August 1952
1956 XVI Olympiad Australia Melbourne, Australia William John Brens Mayor of Melbourne 3 August 1952 – 1953
Robert Henry Solly 1953 – 1954
Francis Palmer Selleck 1954 – 9 December 1956
1960 XVII Olympiad Italy Rome, Italy Umberto Tupini Mayor of Rome 9 December 1956 – 10 January 1958
Urbano Cioccetti 10 January 1958 – 11 September 1960
1964 XVIII Olympiad Japan Tokyo, Japan Ryotaro Azuma Governor of Tokyo 11 September 1960 – 24 October 1964
1968 XIX Olympiad Mexico Mexico City, Mexico Ernesto P. Uruchurtu Head of Government of Mexico City 24 October 1964 – 14 September 1966
Alfonso Corona del Rosal 14 September 1966 – 27 October 1968
1972 XX Olympiad West Germany Munich, West Germany Hans-Jochen Vogel Mayor of Munich 27 October 1968 – 11 June 1972
Georg Kronawitter 11 June 1972 – 10 September 1972
1976 XXI Olympiad Canada Montreal, Canada Jean Drapeau Mayor of Montreal 10 September 1972 – 1 August 1976
1980 XXII Olympiad Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union Vladimir Promyslov Mayor of Moscow 1 August 1976 – 3 August 1980
1984 XXIII Olympiad United States Los Angeles, United States Tom Bradley Mayor of Los Angeles 3 August 1980 – 12 August 1984
1988 XXIV Olympiad South Korea Seoul, South Korea Yom Po-hyun Mayor of Seoul 12 August 1984 – 30 February 1987
Kim Yong-rae 30 February 1987 – 2 October 1988
1992 XXV Olympiad Spain Barcelona, Spain Pasqual Maragall Mayor of Barcelona 2 October 1988 – 9 August 1992
1996 XXVI Olympiad United States Atlanta, United States Maynard Jackson Mayor of Atlanta 9 August 1992 – January 1994
Bill Campbell January 1994 - 4 August 1996
2000 XXVII Olympiad Australia Sydney, Australia Frank Sartor Mayor of Sydney 4 August 1996 – 1 October 2000
2004 XXVIII Olympiad Greece Athens, Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos Mayor of Athens 1 October 2000 – 31 December 2002
Dora Bakoyannis 1 January 2003 – 29 August 2004
2008 XXIX Olympiad China Beijing, China Wang Qishan Mayor of Beijing 29 August 2004 – 30 November 2007
Guo Jinlong 30 November 2007 – 24 August 2008
2012 XXX Olympiad United Kingdom London, Great Britain Boris Johnson Mayor of London 24 August 2008 – 12 August 2012
2016 XXXI Olympiad Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Eduardo Paes Mayor of Rio de Janeiro 12 August 2012 – 21 August 2016
2020 XXXII Olympiad Japan Tokyo, Japan Yuriko Koike Governor of Tokyo 21 August 2016 – 8 August 2021
2024 XXXIII Olympiad France Paris, France Anne Hidalgo Mayor of Paris 8 August 2021 – present
2028 XXXIV Olympiad United States Los Angeles, United States Mayor of Los Angeles To start 11 August 2024
2032 XXXV Olympiad Australia Brisbane, Australia Mayor of Brisbane To start 6 August 2028

Keepers of the Winter Olympic flag

Year Games Host city Keeper of the Olympic flag Office of keeper Date
1952 VI Winter Olympiad Norway Oslo, Norway Brynjulf Bull Mayor of Oslo 14 February 1952 – 25 February 1952
1956 VII Winter Olympiad Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Mario Rimoldi Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo 25 February 1952 – 5 February 1956
1960 VIII Winter Olympiad United States Squaw Valley, United States Roy Mikkelsen Mayor of Auburn 5 February 1956 – 28 February 1960
1964 VIX Winter Olympiad Austria Innsbruck, Austria Alois Lugger Mayor of Innsbruck 28 February 1960 – 9 February 1964
1968 X Winter Olympiad France Grenoble, France Léon Martin Mayor of Grenoble 9 February 1964 – March 1965
Hubert Dubedout March 1965 – 18 February 1968
1972 XI Winter Olympiad Japan Sapporo, Japan Yosaku Harada Mayor of Saporro 18 February 1968 – April 1971
Takeshi Itagaki April 1971 – 13 February 1972
1976 XII Winter Olympiad United States Denver, United States William H. McNichols Jr. Mayor of Denver 13 February 1972 – 15 November 1972
Vacant 15 November 1972 – 5 February 1973
Austria Innsbruck, Austria Alois Lugger Mayor of Innsbruck 5 February 1973 – 9 February 1976
1980 XIII Winter Olympiad United States Lake Placid, United States Robert Peacock Mayor of Lake Placid 9 February 1976 – 23 February 1980
1984 XIV Winter Olympiad Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia Anto Sučić Mayor of Sarajevo 23 February 1980 – 1981
Emerik Blum 1981 – 1983
Uglješa Uzelac 1983 – 19 February 1984
1988 XV Winter Olympiad Canada Calgary, Canada Ralph Klein Mayor of Calgary 19 February 1984 – 28 February 1988
1992 XVI Winter Olympiad France Albertville, France Henri Dujol Mayor of Albertville 28 February 1988 – 23 February 1992
1994 XVII Winter Olympiad Norway Lillehammer, Norway Audun Tron Mayor of Lillehammer 23 February 1992 – 27 February 1994
1998 XVIII Winter Olympiad Japan Nagano, Japan Tasuku Tsukada Mayor of Nagano 27 February 1994 – 22 February 1998
2002 XIX Winter Olympiad United States Salt Lake City, United States Deedee Corradini Mayor of Salt Lake City 22 February 1998 – 3 January 2000
Rocky Anderson 3 January 2000 – 24 February 2002
2006 XX Winter Olympiad Italy Turin, Italy Sergio Chiamparino Mayor of Turin 24 February 2002 – 26 February 2006
2010 XXI Winter Olympiad Canada Vancouver, Canada Sam Sullivan Mayor of Vancouver 26 February 2006 – 8 December 2008
Gregor Robertson 8 December 2008 – 28 February 2010
2014 XXII Winter Olympiad Russia Sochi, Russia Anatoly Pakhomov Mayor of Sochi 28 February 2010 – 23 February 2014
2018 XXIII Winter Olympiad South Korea Pyeongchang, South Korea Lee Seok-rae Mayor of Pyeongchang 23 February 2014 – 30 June 2014
Sim Jae-guk 1 July 2014 – 25 February 2018
2022 XXIV Winter Olympiad China Beijing, China Chen Jining Mayor of Beijing 25 February 2018 – 20 February 2022
2026 XXV Olympiad Italy Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Giuseppe Sala Mayor of Milan 20 February 2022 – present
Gianpietro Ghedina Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo

Keepers of the Summer Youth Olympic flag

Year Games Host city Keeper of the Olympic flag Office of keeper Date
2010 I Youth Olympiad Singapore Singapore Teo Ser Luck Mayor of the Northeast District 14 August 2010 – 26 August 2010
2014 II Youth Olympiad China Nanjing, China Ji Jianye Mayor of Nanjing 26 August 2010 – 16 October 2013
Miao Ruilin 16 October 2013 – 28 August 2014
2018 III Youth Olympiad Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina Mauricio Macri Chief of Government of Buenos Aires 28 August 2014 – 9 December 2015
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta 9 December 2015 – 18 October 2018
2026 IV Youth Olympiad Senegal Dakar, Senegal Soham El Wardini Mayor of Dakar 18 October 2018 – present

Keepers of the Winter Youth Olympic flag

Year Games Host city Keeper of the Olympic flag Office of keeper Date
2012 I Winter Youth Olympiad Austria Innsbruck, Austria Christine Oppitz-Plörer Mayor of Innsbruck 13 January 2012 – 22 January 2012
2016 II Winter Youth Olympiad Norway Lillehammer, Norway Espen Johnsen Mayor of Lillehammer 22 January 2012 – 21 February 2016
2020 III Winter Youth Olympiad Switzerland Lausanne, Switzerland Daniel Brélaz Mayor of Lausanne 21 February 2016 – 30 June 2016
Grégoire Junod 30 June 2016 – 22 January 2020
2024 IV Winter Youth Olympiad South Korea Gangwon Province, South Korea Choi Moon-soon Governor of Gangwon Province 22 January 2020 – present

See also


This page was last updated at 2022-03-06 04:39 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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