The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is a grand affair. At each of the games the host nation tried to outdo previous hosts. The ceremony has always been full of pomp and splendour, especially when the host nation is a monarchy.
One of the enduring traditions of the opening ceremony is the athletes' procession, where all the teams file past the gathered dignitaries country at a time. One of the traditions for the procession is to have the country's flag bearer dip the flag to any ruler that may be present as the team passes, and all countries follow this tradition.
All, except one. The United States does not dip its flag during the procession. The reasons for this appear to be shrouded in the mists of time, but many believe it to stem from one of two stories.
The first dates back to the 1908 games held in Britain, where the then flag bearer, Ralph Rose, refused to dip the US flag. Nobody knows for sure what his reasons were, but fellow athlete, Martin Sheridan, is claimed to have said that "this flag dips to no earthly king."
The more likely scenario is that the tradition to not dip the US flag started at the 1936 games held in Germany. Nazi power was on the rise and the American delegation refused to acknowledge Hitler, showing the displeasure by not dipping their flag to him during the procession.
Either way, the US flag has never dipped during the procession, even though there is not official policy about it, with the ultimate decision being left up to the flag bearer at the time. Generally, though, the US tradition wins the day and the flag stays up high.
