Antwerp first displayed the Olympic flag at a Summer Olympics in 1920. The flag, featuring five interlocking rings on a white background, was introduced during the opening ceremony of the Games in Belgium.
Pierre de Coubertin designed the rings in 1913, but the First World War delayed their Olympic debut. Antwerp was the first city to use the flag at the Games, and it also hosted the first Olympic oath and the first release of doves as a symbol of peace.
The rings represent the union of the five inhabited parts of the world participating in the Olympic movement. Contrary to a common misconception, the colors are not officially assigned one-to-one to particular continents. The flag later became one of the most recognizable symbols in international sport.