To many spectators, pictograms are a familiar form of Olympic imagery. First introduced at the 1948 Games in London, they became an integral facet of Olympic Games design at he Tokyo Games of 1964, serving an invaluable function as elegant and simple wayfinding devices. Abstract imagery had been most common in pictograms used at prior Olympic Games, but in the spirit of the 100th annivarsary of the modern Olympic Games, ACOG selected pictograms of the human form that captured the commonality between the grace of a posed athlete and the graceful, personal quality of the South.
 

Archery	Athletics	Boxing	Canoe
Canoe Kayak Slalom	Cyclisme	Equestrian Sports	Fencing
Football	Gymnastic	Handball	Hockey
Judo	Pentathlon moderne	Sailing	Swimming
Tennis	Volleyball	Weihtlifting	Wresling
Badminton	Rythmic Gymnastics	Swimming Syncron	Waterpolo

Prior to the Games, the sports pictograms were used extensively by licensees in Olympic Games merchandise and collectibles. Official use was restricted to documents and signage specific to individual sports and disciplines.

Sports pictogramms were used extensively in the Look Program. To complement the sports pictograms and facilitate wayfinding, Creative Services also designed a series of service pictograms that were used extensively at Games-time.
 

(Source document:  Official Report 1996, vols. I, page 134)