Flowers

Why do they give flowers to the medal
winners in the Olympics?

It has been a tradition since the original
Olympics between the Greek city-states,
when the winners received olive wreathes!

Organizing committees are encouraged to
design and use plants that represent the
region where the Games are being held,
reflect the Games' color palette, and it's hoped to be attractive enough to be taken home by the athletes
as cherished mementos or tossed jubilantly to spectators who are cheering them on.

According to myth, the Greek superhero Hercules was the founder of the Olympic Games. In ancient times,
branches from the wild olive tree he allegedly carried from Crete and transplanted at Olympia were
fashioned into crowns to adorn the heads of the three winners of each event.

For the 2004 Summer Games,
Greek florists harvested foliage from some of
Crete's oldest olive trees and pressed it into double duty.

They created crowns for the winning athletes and also presented them with bouquets featuring blue amaranths,
orange Gerbera, red roses, yellow chrysanthemums, all nestled inside silvery olive branches.