PHOTOS OF THE MEDALS OF THESE OLYMPICS

       Now, you can see some photos about the medals of these Olympic Games of Montreal. As you can see, in the medals there are very beautiful images of things related to these Olympics:

 

THE MASCOT: AMIK

    A beaver was born on the 25 th of September in 1974. This wasn't just any beaver, it was the official mascot of the upcoming Olympic Games of Montreal, announced and introducted to the world. Its name, Amik, was chosen by a public contest. 

   

   A Canadian national symbol chosen for its industriousness and patience, the minimalist mascot was a product of Montreal's overall design concept, which was created by the Graphics and Design Directorate, a committee made up of prominent  Canadian graphic artists of the time. The designers credited with the mascot's birth were Yvon Laroche, Pierre-Yves Pelletier, Guy St-Arnaud and George Huel.

  That winning name, "Amik", means "beaver" in an Algonquin language (which is, in the terms of the Official Report of 1976, "the most windespread among the Amerindians of Canada". It was notably used when natives attemped to communicate with canada's white settlers.

  The mascot was usually seen either wearing the read sash that accompained the Olympic Games of Montreal's medals, and occasionally a rainbow sahs. Speaking of colors,small plastic Amiks were produced in many different hues (including an alternate black one with a grey sash).

AFTER AMIK, OLYMPIC MASCOTS WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME!

THE CLOSING CEREMONY

     The closing ceremony of these Olympics was on the 1 st of August, in the presence of the President of the IOC and Jules Lèger, Governor of Canada. There was a show in where people sang the national anthems of Canada and other countries.

     To underscore the brothery unity of Olympic sport, the athletes entered without being grouped separately by nationality. They were accompanied by over 500 Aboriginal people in festive costumes, and entered the five rings formed by the young women; they then erected tents in the colours of the Olympic rings.

     The President of the IOC declared the closing of the Games. The Olympic Flag was lowered and eight athletes carried the flag out of the stadium.

     The Olympic Flame went out, signalling the end of the Montréal Games. Finally, the announcer revealed the location of the next Games: Moscow. And, on giant screens, live from Moscow, dancers and singers performed a short number and presented a gigantic candle on the screen.

      The crowd in the Olympic Stadium then waved lit candles or light stics as a gesture of friendship. The Olympic Games of Montreal in 1976 ended.

THE OPENING CEREMONY

     The Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in 1976 was held on Saturday, on the 17 th of July in 1976 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

     The ceremony marked the opening of the Games of the XXI Olympiad, the first Olympics ever held in Canada (the country would later host the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, in 1988, and the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, in 2010).

      There was an air show by the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds flying squad in th sunny skies above the satdium. The ceremony officially began at 3:00 pm with a trumpet fanfare and the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II (as head of state for Canada, she would open the Games). The Queen was accompanied by Michael Morris, Lord Killanin, President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and she was greeted to an orchestral rendition of "O Canada".

      The Queen also entered the Royal Box with her consort. She joined a number of Canadian and Olympic dignitaries (Jules Leger, Jean Drapeau, Marie-Claire, Sheila Dunlop, Pierre Trudeau...). 

      The parade of athletes began moments later with the arrival of the Greek team and concluded with the entrance of the Canadian team. All other teams entered the stadium according to French alphabetical order.

       Immediately following the parade, a troupe of women dancers  (there were 80 dancers in this troupe) dressed in white (representing the 80 th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Games) performed a brief dance in the outline of the Olympic rings.

       Accompanied by the Olympic Hymn, the Olympic flag was carried into the stadium and hoisted at the west end of the stadium. The flag was carried by eight men and hoisted by four women, representing the ten provinces and two territories (at the time) of Canada.

       Once the flag was unfurled, a troupe of Bavarian dancers, representing Munich, host of the previous Summer Olympics, entered the stadium with the Antwerp Flag. Following a brief dance, that flag was then passed from the Mayor of Munich to the IOC President and then to the Mayor of Montreal. Next came a presentation of traditional Québécois folk dancers. The two troupes merged in dance together to the strains of “Vive le Compagnie” and exited the stadium with the Antwerp Flag, which would be displayed at Montreal City Hall until the opening of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

       Another trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of the Olympic Flame. The torch was carried by two teenagers (they were 15 year old), Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson, chosen as representatives of the unity within Canada’s linguistic heritage. The duo would make a lap of the stadium and then  they climbed a staircase on a special dais at the center of the stadium to set the Olympic flame alight in a temporary white aluminum cauldron. The flame was later transported to a more permanent cauldron just outside the running track to burn throughout the duration of the Games. A choir then performed the Olympic Cantata as onlookers admired the Olympic flame.

       Then, the ‘Youth of Canada’ took to the track to perform a colourful choreographed segment with flags, ribbons and a variety of rhythmic gymnast performers.

       The flag bearers of each team then circled around the speaker’s dais as Pierre Saint-Jean recited the Athletes’ Oath and Maurice Forger recited the Judges’ Oath, with right hand over the heart and the Canadian flag clutched in the left.

       Finally, a rousing choral performance of ‘O Canada’ in both French and English marked the close of the Opening Ceremony, as the announcers concluded with a declaration of ‘Vive les Jeux de Montreal! Long Live the Montreal Games’.

OLYMPIC GAMES OF MONTREAL IN 1976: INTRODUCTION

     The Olympic Games in 1976 were celebrated in Montreal, in the province of Quebec of Canada. Montreal had previously won the Host City Selection of the Olympic Games celebrated in 1970, against the United States and the Soviet Union.