Stone from Ancient Olympia used for designing new Olympic Laurel award

Meeting in Ancient Olympia, the IOC President Thomas Bach and the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos identified a stone that will be incorporated in the design of the new Olympic Laurel award.

The two leaders met during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame for the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Starting this year in Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic Laurel award will be given at the Opening Ceremony of every Olympic Games to honour outstanding individuals in education, culture, development and peace through sport.  

President Bach thanked President Pavlopoulos for his personal initiative and support to ensure that an element from Ancient Olympia will be part of the award. 

“With the Olympic Laurel we are reconnecting with the ideals and values of the Ancient Olympic Games,” said President Bach. “The stone from Ancient Olympia will be a strong symbolic link for the Olympic Laurel award, connecting it forever to the birthplace of the Olympic Games.”

The day before the lighting ceremony, President Bach had inspected the stone at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. The creation of the Olympic Laurel is part of the reforms under Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement.