Songs for past sport championships & olympics

Many songs have been written for the opening or closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. We will talk about some of them that have been and are still loved around the world.

Olympics

Barcelona, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé. Barcelona 1992

This, this is the first song I really remember when someone talks about the Olympics. Not because I remember the opening ceremony with the big screen showing the recorded video of the two singers, just a few months after Freddie Mercury's death. It's just because I sung it with my middle school choir during several concerts. This song always gave me the chills and a "je ne sais quoi"... I will always have a special place in my heart for it.

Reach, Gloria Estefan. Atlanta 1996

This song talks about motivation and going beyond oneself... and it's not only in sports but also in life in general. In facts, it was written six years after Gloria's car crash in which she had her spine fractured. She succeeded in overcoming her pain and was able to walk again. That's a powerful song, isn't it?

One moment in time, Whitney Houston. Seoul 1988

If this video-clip doesn't represent the Olympic Games, I don't know what could! Whitney received an Emmy Award for it in 2008.

Hand in hand, Koreana. Seoul 1988

You will see in the clip that on the official korean TV, the opening ceremony was translated in Korean Sign Language. As the song talks about cooperation and frienship, this seems rather fitting!

The Flame, Tina Arena. Sydney 2000

The singer Tina Arena sung it with a children choir and it's one of the best remembered singing act of an Olympics ceremony.

Heroes live forever, Vanessa Amorosi. Sydney 2000

I discovered this song while researching for this post and I totally felt in love with it! What a beautiful and powerful voice! The lyrics are not bad either...

Championships

Every football / soccer fan knows it: for each world cup or regional championship, songs are recorded and (heavily) passed on the radios. Here are 5 memorables, that could also aplied for Olympics athletes.

Waka waka, Shakira. South Africa 2010

La Copa de la Vida, Ricky Martin. France 1998

We are the champions, Queen. USA 1994

Dar um Jeito (We will find a way), Carlos Santana, Wyclef, Avicii and Alexandre Pires . Brazil 2014

Magic in the air, Magic System. Brazil 2014

In France, it was the biggest hit with the song from Shakira (La la la) and the one from Germany (Auf Uns, from Andreas Bourani) during the 2014 Wordl Cup.

Bonus

It's not a song, but I'm sure you are as fan as I am of this video sequence!

*****

Welcome to our Olympics for Kids series! The Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about the world and explore cultures together. Today, you can find more about other music posts about various countries thanks to our participating bloggers:

How Dutch Nursery Rhymes Helped Me as an Expat Mother - Multicultural Kid Blogs
Songs for Past Sports Championships and the Olympics - La Cité des Vents
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Globe Trottin' Kids
Chile - La Clase de Sra. DuFault

Don't forget that you can also download our Summer Games Unit activity pack to learn more about the world and have fun during the Olympics.

Save