Flowers have been an integral part of the Olympic Games since ancient times, symbolising victory, honour, and celebration. The tradition of awarding flowers to Olympic champions dates back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, where victorious athletes were crowned with olive wreaths. In modern times, the tradition has evolved to include vibrant floral bouquets, carefully designed by the host country to reflect their floral culture and heritage.
Significance of Flowers at the Olympics
Flowers hold a deep symbolic meaning at the Olympic Games. They represent the values of excellence, purity, and beauty that athletes strive to embody. The act of presenting flowers to winners is a gesture of respect and admiration for their hard work and dedication to their sport.
1984 Los Angeles Games
Conroy's, a Los Angeles flower shop, was awarded the task of creating the 1984 Olympic bouquets. The florist included an orange strelitzia surrounded by gerbera, yellow orchids and purple liatris.
1996 Atlanta Games
The bouquet for the 1996 Olympic Games was designed by florist Mary Jo Means and is commemorated in a poster that you can still purchase online. Five key flowers were used to echo the five Olympic rings, including sunflowers, celosia, tiger lilies, larkspur and tuberose, symbolising loyalty, immortality, pride, swiftness and love, respectively. The arrangement also incorporated leaves from magnolia, laurel, leucothoe and olive trees.
2000 Sydney Games
The large, bright-red waratah flower (Telopea), native to Australia and the state flower of New South Wales, was the prominent bloom of the 2000 Olympic Games. According to Jamie Creer, the managing director of the Australian Flower Company at the time, the flower almost didn't bloom in time for the Games due to a cooler-than-usual spring. He only found out three days before the Olympics were to begin that the flowers would be ready. The bouquets also included craspedia, wax flower, flannel flower (Actinotus), kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos) and white oak, all from different regions of Australia.
2004 Athens Games
It was fitting that olive branches were used for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, harking back to those first international competitions. Several olive farms on the island of Crete provided the branches to make 5,513 wreaths, with some farmers claiming their trees were thousands of years old. Osteospermum, Tanacetum, Limonium and Solidago completed the bouquets.
2010 Vancouver Games
Quik's Farm Floral Shop in Chilliwack, B.C., grew about 10,000 green chrysanthemums for the centre of each bouquet. These were surrounded by hypericum berries, leatherleaf, aspidistra leaves and Liriope for an all-green arrangement. The finished bouquets were tied with blue ribbon.
2012 London Games
The design for the chic bouquets of the 2012 Olympic Games was conceived by Susan Lapworth, a florist at Jane Packer in London. The flowers and herbs in the bouquet were grown in the UK and assembled by floristry students across the country. Pink, yellow, orange and green roses were tightly gathered with rosemary, apple mint, lavender and wheat.
2020 Tokyo Games
Many of the flowers used in the bouquets for the 2020 Olympic Games were grown in areas hit by the disastrous Tohoku earthquake in 2011. Sunflowers were planted on a hill in Miyagi, a prefecture north of Tokyo, by parents whose children had perished there after seeking safety from the ensuing tsunami. Blue gentian flowers matched the colour of the logo for the Tokyo Games and were grown in Iwate prefecture, where more than half of these flowers originate in Japan. The lisianthus was from Fukushima prefecture, where a nuclear accident occurred after the earthquake. The aspidistra leaves in the bouquets were grown in Tokyo.
Contemporary Style and Trends
In recent years the style of the Olympic flower bouquets has changed to incorporate contemporary design elements.
Minimalism focusing on clean lines and simple arrangement that highlight the beauty of each individual flower.
Bold Colours Dynamic and energetic feelings are achieved with bold and vibrant colour palettes
Eco-Friendly Practices Sustainability is a key trend, focusing on locally sourced, seasonal flowers with eco-friendly packaging.
Information courtesy of CBC Life Canada & Stem Floral Design Australia
Images: Getty Images
