What is the Olympic anthem? History behind the song at the Opening Ceremony

WASHINGTON — The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway, with the Opening Ceremony officially wrapped. 

One of the most traditional moments of the ceremony came when Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Cecilia Bartoli performed the Olympic anthem, a piece that has represented the modern Games for more than a century, according to NBC.

The Olympic anthem, also known as the Olympic Hymn, is the official song of the modern Olympic Games. It’s separate from the host country’s ceremonial music and separate from modern Olympic fanfares created for television and broadcasts.

According to NBC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the anthem was composed by Spýros Samáras with lyrics by Greek poet Kostís Palamás ahead of the 1896 Games in Athens, the first modern Olympics.

It was first performed on April 6, 1896, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. About 80,000 spectators were there to hear it, and it was performed by an orchestra and a choir of 250 singers, conducted by Samáras.

The anthem later fell out of regular use for decades, but the IOC explains it was brought back after being played at a 1958 IOC planning session. It returned officially at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in 1960.

Today, the Olympic anthem is most closely associated with the raising of the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony. It is also played again during the closing ceremony, according to the IOC. In many instances, the lyrics are translated to match the host country’s language. 

The lyrics are meant to honor the ancient Games while connecting them to the modern Olympics, beginning with: “O Ancient immortal Spirit, pure father of beauty, of greatness and of truth.”