London Olympics Games 2012 background | Stock Vector © Depositphotos

London Olympics Games 2012 background | Stock Vector © Depositphotos | cienpies

From 776 BC until the present, the Olympic Games have been deemed the most prestigious sporting event in the whole world. Initially, the Games were not just a competition, but also an important religious ritual, dedicated to Zeus, the supreme Greek god.

In 393 AD, Olympic Games were suppressed by Roman emperor Theodosius I along with other forms of paganism. They were revived only in 1896.

The symbol of the Olympic Games is five interlocking rings, which symbolizes the union of five parts of the world in the Olympic movement. Each ring has its own color and represents a certain part of the world: blue for Europe, black for Africa, red for the Americas, yellow for Asia, and green for Australia. The development of the Olympic emblem is generally attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who is also recognized as a founder of the modern Olympic Games. The Latin motto for the Olympic Games, “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” translates as “faster, higher, stronger.”

This year’s Olympic Games will be held in London for the third time. The first two times London was the host city were 1908 and 1948.

Depositphotos has prepared a special “Summer Olympics” lightbox for this year’s event, inspired by the Olympic Games’ guiding principle: we have carefully explored the portfolios of all our authors and combined the best sport images from all over the world into one gallery. We sincerely hope that our efforts were not wasted, and that our special lightbox will inspire you to make projects that are Olympian in scope.

Swimming Competition | Stock Photo © Depositphotos

Swimming Competition | Stock Photo © Depositphotos | Andreas Jancso 

Male swimmer | Stock Photo © Depositphotos

Male swimmer | Stock Photo © Depositphotos | IS_2 

Stop-watch | Stock Photo © Depositphotos

Stop-watch | Stock Photo © Depositphotos | Dmitriy Shironosov

Sport stadium | Stock Photo © Depositphotos

Sport stadium | Stock Photo © Depositphotos | Leung Cho Pan 

Athlete at the start line of the stadium | Stock Photo © Depositphotos

Athlete at the start line of the stadium | Stock Photo © Depositphotos | tomwang 

 

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