Olympic Games ceremony Olympic Games ceremony Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies harken back to the Ancient Games from which the Modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies. During the 2004 Games, the medal winners received a crown of olive branches, which was a direct reference to the Ancient Games, in which the victor's prize was an olive wreath. The various elements
Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics Independent Olympic Athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The team was composed of Kuwaiti athletes who competed under the Olympic flag, as the Kuwait Olympic Committee had been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the second time in five years due to governmental interference. In addition to the Independent Athletes, ten refugees were scheduled to compete under the Olympic flag as the Refugee Olympic Team, which constituted a separate team. Kuwaiti shooter Fehaid Al-Deehani became the first independent