The rings symbolize the union (unity) of the 5 parts of the world
10 entries!
(Also would have accepted the 5 continents, although that explanation has always bothered me...)
There are several theories about the origin and interpretation of such a popular emblem. The main version is a symbolic image of the unity of 5 continents, which was invented in 1913 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Prior to 1951, it was widely believed that a particular color corresponded to a particular continent. In particular, Europe is blue, Africa is black, America is red, Asia is yellow, Australia is green, but since the middle of the twentieth century (in order to move away from racial discrimination) they have abandoned such a distribution of colors. The theory of the unity of all peoples is also supported by the fact that any state contains at least 1 color from the emblem.
Another version says that the idea of 5 multi-colored rings was taken from the psychologist Carl Jung. It was he who, during the period of fascination with Chinese philosophy, combined the symbol of greatness and vital energy (circle) with 5 colors, reflecting the types of energies (water, wood, fire, earth and metal). In 1912, the psychologist also introduced his own image of the Olympic competition - modern pentathlon. In his opinion, all Olympians should have mastered each of the 5 types - swimming (water element - blue), fencing (fiery - red), cross-country running (earth - yellow), equestrian sports (element of the tree - green) and shooting (the element of metal is black).
