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Montreal Olympics (1976)

Last modified: 2016-10-01 by rob raeside
Keywords: olympics | montreal | olympic rings | letter: m |
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Official flag
[Canadian Olympic flag] image by Ant�nio Martins-Tuv�lkin and Zach Harden, 28 April 2006
Proportions: 1:2

reported small version
[Canadian Olympic flag] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 August 2016
Proportions: 2:3

See also:


Description of the flag

The Montreal Olympic flag had a white logo on red background. The logo was created by Georges Huel. It was used on flags, banners and table flags, according to an article in Vexilla Belgica by Fran�ois Beaudoin (1982).
Luc Baronian, 9 May 2005


Variants of the flag

There was also another variant in 1:2 with "Montreal 76" underneath the logo.
Marc Pasquin, 28 April 2006

I checked Souvenir program I have of the 1976 Olympics and the few photographs of the flag (including the cover) show it indeed in a 1:2 ratio (without inscription), probably so it would look nice next to the Canadian flag. So is the Olympic flag incidentally.

As the one I mentioned is based on a photography of an actual one, this variant might simply exist as table flags, maybe even as the used by the candidacy committee before 1976.
Marc Pasquin, 29 April 2006

[Canadian Olympic flag] image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 18 March 2014

 At http://www.ebay.com/itm/351013086160 is an offer for a small flag of the 1976 Olympics. It's apparently yet another variation, as according to the seller it's approximately 3:5. Design-wise it's the style with the text underneath, but in this case it's the French text: Montr�al 1976.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 18 March 2014

[Canadian Olympic flag] image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 28 August 2014

A table flag, described as ca. 3:5; just the emblem and a copyright symbol.
Source: https://www.etsy.com/listing/108448212
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 28 August 2014

[Canadian Olympic flag] image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 28 August 2014

Souvenir pennant. Though it's in English, it does write "Montr�al". Since none of the flags in this message show "Montreal" without accent, I'm beginning to wonder whether such flags really existed.
Source: https://www.etsy.com/listing/191906016 
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 28 August 2014

At http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/graphics/montreal-olympics-poster-2 is a a bilingual poster, but with the name spelt "Montr�al" in both languages.

At http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/graphics/montreal-olympics-poster-2 is the other well-known one. It has just the name of the city and the year, and it does not show two forms of that name.

The report consistently uses "Montr�al" - http://olympic-museum.de/o-reports/report1976.htm. Even the model flag shows the name with an accent (of sorts) on the e.

In my opinion, Marc was right that there was a 1:2 version with the name and "76" underneath the logo, being the early version of which a model is in the photograph mentioned above, but wrong in that the name was not written "Montreal", but "montr�al". So far, I've seen no other design with just "76", rather than "1976", and no version with the e without the accent. Only an even earlier design might conceivably have had "montreal".
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 28 September 2014


Montreal games flag in Moscow

[Canadian Olympic flag] image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 August 2016

At the Moscow games, the Olympic flag was passed on from Montreal to Moscow, both represented by a small delegation, each accompanied by flags with their own symbol. Moscow had the vertical flag, Montr�al in Moscow had in contrast a white flag with red emblem. .

A video on YouTube shows this ceremony; the link below will show the flags (though they show in other shots before it showing them as well): http://youtu.be/TC4jJ4G34bA?t=5m44s
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 August 2016