Five interlocking rings — sometimes in different colors, sometimes not. That simplest of symbols is easy to take for granted after all these years. When a city hosts the Olympics, it becomes ubiquitous, easy to take for granted but still a powerful reminder of the significance of this event.
The rings spend a lot of time quietly in the background — on the ice at speedskating, curling and figure skating competitions. Ice makers applied a cutout of the rings to the track at Yanqing National Sliding Center ahead of the Beijing Games. They're also on display near enough to the moguls course to make a spectacular backdrop when a skier sails through the air.
Occasionally, an athlete will seek out the rings for a photo opportunity. Switzerland s Marco Tade did during training for the moguls competition. Italian luger Andrea Voetter had the rings on her fingernails. Norwegian curler Magnus Nedregotten has the rings tattooed on his arm.
