Then came the " Oslo Ceremony " ( so called because the original Olympic flag , which was used for transfer of the Winter Games , was first used at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo ) , which is the transfer of the Olympic Flag from the mayor of Turin , Sergio Chiamparino , to Jacques Rogge , and then to the mayor of Vancouver , Sam Sullivan . The flag was kept in the Vancouver City Hall during the next four years . With music playing , Chiamparino ran up the steps to the stage , waved the flag the symbolic eight times , handed it to Rogge , who then handed it to Sullivan . Because Sullivan is a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair and has limited use of his arms and hands , the flag was placed in a specially-designed flag holder on his chair . Sullivan then spun his chair back and forth eight times to make the flag wave in the air . The assembled crowd roared in approval and rose to their feet in response . This culminated this part of the program . The Olympic flag was next raised again at the next Summer Olympic games in Beijing ; opening ceremony there took place on 8 August 2008
opening ceremony
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
2006 Winter Olympics closing ceremony