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Olympic Games flags: United Kingdom

1908 Olympics
1948 Olympics
2012 Olympics
- 2012 Candidate City

1908 Olympics

image located by Aleksandar Nemet, 3 November 2009

Source: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44593000/jpg/_44593263_flag416.jpg

London Olympic flag, 2012

image by Eugene Ipavec, 10 October 2009

The flag is an orange rectangular flag with the blue logo with the Olympic rings in white hanging from a building in London. A link containing the news, and the picture is at http://sp.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headlines/n214582270.shtml. This website mentions the following: "official typeface for the 2012 London Olympics"
Source: http://nicspic2608.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-brands-getting-in-on-the-action/

The complete template showing the different colors applied to this logo is here: http://www.mrmalique.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/london-2012.jpg
Esteban Rivera, 3 October 2009

Information can also be found on the the London 2012 site: http://www.london2012.com/about/index.php.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 10 October 2009

One of the official Olympics handover flags flown around Britain on 24 August 2008 to mark the beginning of Britain's turn to host the games in 2012 is found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gellybean/2811181850 and http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianshort/2805564322. Also there's another flag seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukinromania/6666060227 (this one shows the 2012 Paralympics logo as well). There are four official base colours, and another version for the logo.

There have been two London 2012 logos: one for the bidding process created by Kino Design and a second as the brand for the Games themselves. The former is a ribbon with blue, yellow, black, green, and red stripes winding through the text "LONDON 2012," making the shape of the River Thames in East London. The latter, designed by Wolff Olins, was unveiled on 4 June 2007 and cost Ł400,000. This new logo is a representation of the number 2012, with the Olympic Rings embedded within the zero. This will be the first time that the same essential logo is to be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The standard colours are green, magenta, orange and blue; however the logo has incorporated a variety of colours, including the Union Flag to promote the handover ceremony. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_2012_Olympics#Logo. The logos can all be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:All_London_2012_logos.svg.
Esteban Rivera, 15 April 2012

Wow, a flag on a logo on a flag. Has anyone done a drawing for that: I would like to try out how it looks when flat. I do have the suspicion, though, that it's not really possible to cut-up a Union Flag of any ratio to fit the pieces shown.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 April 2012

London 2012 Olympics candidate city

image by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán based on www.london2012.org, 7 July 2005

Devised by Kino Design, winners of a contest which attracted 1,100 entries, the logo features a multi-coloured ribbon following the course of the River Thames and weaving through the words "London 2012". London 2012 Chairman Barbara Cassani said: "The Olympic Games embody competition, harmony and human endeavour. To me, the ribbon in the logo brings to mind the medals Olympians and Paralympians from around the world will come to London to compete for in 2012, or it could be the finishing line of a world class race. The colours of the ribbon represent the five continents of the world, from where London has drawn its dynamic people."

Andy Stanfield, of Kino Design, added: "We are delighted that our design has been chosen to represent London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. We chose the River Thames because it flows through the centre of London and is the point at which many of the city's waterways and communities meet. It is also symbolic of the people from all over the world that flow in and out of London, defining its style, personality and vibrancy. Our aim was to create a flexible logo that was integrated into the words 'London 2012' but would be strong enough to stand alone. The ribbon delivers that and can be used in many creative ways in the campaign to win the 2012 Olympic Games for London."

from London 2012, located by Jonathan Dixon, 19 February 2005

The logo for the London 2012 Olympic Games was unveiled on 04 June 2007 and is said by the organisers to be "constantly evolving", although there are four standard versions, which are essentially shades of pink, blue, orange and green, shown on the London 2012 web site, together with a video explaining the rationale of the brand.

Media organisations have reported that the logo has caused some controversy in the UK, with the BBC and others promoting a number of alternative logos. In a somewhat clever move, even the organisers themselves have a large selection of emblem designs, based on their own template, on their web site. There have been reports in the UK media that the animated logo originally shown on the London 2012 web site could cause epileptic seizures.

Reports are yet to appear of official flags, but there is an example on the London 2012 web site at the address given above, of the logo appearing on a vertically hanging banner outside Newham Town Hall in east London.

Sources:
(1) London 2012 web site, http://www.london2012.com, http://www.london2012.com/about-newlook-video.html, as consulted 21 June 2007
(2) British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Sport web site, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm, stated to be last updated 04 June 2007, as consulted 21 June 2007.
(3) BBC News web site, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6724245.stm, stated to be last updated 05June 2007, as consulted 21 June 2007.

Colin Dobson, 21 June 2007