Did you know that the Olympic Hymn, also known as the Olympic Anthem, was performed for the first time in 1896 at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece?
The choral cantata of the Olympic Anthem was written by opera composer Spyridon Samaras, while the lyrics were written by Kostis Palamas. In 1958, at the 54th Session of the IOC in Tokyo, Japan, this anthem was declared to be the official Olympic Anthem by the International Olympic Committee.
The Olympic Hymn is played at each Olympic Games during the opening and closing ceremonies.
