The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina), from February 8 to 19, 1984. The Games’ official emblem is a stylized snowflake, a design credited to Miroslav Antonić Roko, who is listed as the creator on items in the Olympic Museum collection. [1]
Design and History
The emblem is a geometric snowflake rendered in a bright orange color. [2] The design is documented as symbolizing a stylized snowflake featuring a traditional design of embroidery produced in the Sarajevo region. [3] The Olympic rings appear above the snowflake mark. [4]
Miroslav Antonić Roko, a lawyer who worked in the legal department of Energoinvest in Sarajevo, designed the logo as a hobby. He was particularly interested in the history of folk costumes and kilim carpets woven on the periphery of Sarajevo, and a pattern he saw on a kilim inspired the snowflake logo. [5] Roko died in 1980, four years before the Games took place. [5]
The Games were the first Winter Olympics held in a socialist state. [6] Sarajevo won the hosting rights against Sapporo, Japan, and Gothenburg, Sweden. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Beyond the snowflake and embroidery references, the four squares within the logo represent the four mountain peaks where the Games were held: Bjelašnica, Jahorina, Igman, and Trebević. The lines between them represent welcoming hands, a symbol of Sarajevo hospitality. [5]
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