Organizers held a ceremony, presenting four olive branch wreaths, which were hand picked in the fields of Marathon, Greece, and painted gold. Skip to content NOWCAST News 9 at 7:30 ...

“The continuing tradition of the olive branches from ancient Greece and the ancient Greek battlefield of Marathon, Greece, formed into wreaths and brought to Boston to crown the winners of the ...

At the ancient Games the wreaths were seen as a symbol of peace and honour. They were cut from a sacred grove in Olympia. Today's wreaths were taken from olive groves all around Greece - though ...

The olive leaf crown — an enduring symbol of the Games — also carried deep meaning. "The olive wreath wasn't necessarily presented to the winner of the race," Father Pengelley says.

Nearly 2,800 years ago, ancient Greek Olympic champions were crowned with wreaths. Then, in the early modern games starting in 1896, champions went home with clocks, cups, trophies and even paintings.