olympiske

Olympiske is an adjective used in several Nordic languages, most commonly Danish and Norwegian, to mean relating to the Olympic Games. In Swedish the corresponding form is olympiska. The word describes things connected with the modern Olympic Games or the broader Olympic Movement, including events, organizations, sports, and athletes associated with the Games.

Etymology and meaning derive from Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games. The term passed into Latin as Olympicus and then into modern European languages, where it was adopted to denote the contemporary international competition organized under the banner of the Olympic Movement. In official usage, phrases such as the olympiske leker (the Olympic Games), olympiske utøvere (Olympic athletes), and olympiske komité (Olympic Committee) appear, reflecting the term’s role in naming both events and participants.

In contemporary usage, olympiske refers to aspects of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, which are held every four years on a rotating schedule and governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The adjective also appears in discussions of Olympic sports, training programs, national committees, and related cultural and logistical elements that comprise the Olympic Movement. The term thus functions as a standard descriptor for anything pertaining to the official, internationally organized pursuit of Olympic competition and its values.