Coogee Media

That's the way it has been since the modern games started in 1896, they say; and Australia is one of the few nations to compete at every summer games.

That is not strictly true!

Collection of British Colonies Before 1901
Even though prior to 1901, Australia and New Zealand were a collection of British colonies, an Australasian Olympic Committee was formed in 1895 and recognised. With the likelihood of an Australian Federation coming, it was assumed by many that it would also include New Zealand.

For Games prior to 1 January 1901, Australian teams could not have competed under an "Australian" flag which did not yet exist, and anyway, technically, represented Australasian sports, which included New Zealand.

National Flags
The Australian flag was first flown on 3rd September 1901 when Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced the winners of a competition of a design for an Australian flag. At that time the flag was known as the Commonwealth blue ensign and only later became known as the Australian National Flag. The New Zealand flag with its red coloured Southern Cross was formally adopted in 1902.

The blue Australian ensign was a first designed not as a national flag, but a flag to fly over Commonwealth (federal) buildings so as to distinguish them from State entities. The Commonwealth Government and flag suppliers restricted sales of the blue ensign to the public, so there was widespread adoption of the red ensign by the public as a quasi-official National Flag. Not until the 1940s was the blue ensign generally recognised as a national flag, and the red ensign used for maritime activities. Until then, it was not uncommon for the red ensign to be held aloft by flag bearers at parades.

Union Jack Carried
So if "Australian" or "Australasian" teams had marched in the 1896 and 1900 Games, it would have been under the British (Union Jack) Flag. Only one example of each national flag was displayed at the opening ceremony, and this person was termed the representative of the "British Empire", presumably including the Australasian colonies. There was not even an individual Australian athlete carrying an additional Union Jack.

The style of the formal opening ceremony with teams marching behind a national flag did not begin until the 1906 Intercalated Games of 1906. The 1904 Games in St Louis in the US proved to be such a schmozzle that another set of games were held in Athens in 1906; recognised at the time as true Olympics, but since downgraded to something called Intercalated Games of 1906. It is unclear under what terminology or flag Australians who attended the 1904 and 1906 games competed.

Australasian Olympic Flag, 1908 & 1912

"Australasian" Teams
Teams marching behind a flag bearer displaying their national flag, officially, happened at the 1908 Olympics and at each set of Games since. For the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, an Australasian team continued to be fielded - combining athletes from Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand who competed together. Remarkably, a new quasi-official flag was devised to be carried by the team's flagbearer.

In 1920, the first Australia-only Olympic team competed at the Antwerp Games. Australia sent a 13-member team winning two silver medals and a bronze. It is not clear whether they marched under the blue or red ensign. The red ensign was used during the 1936 Berlin Games.

During the 1940s, the Chifley federal government officially recognised the blue ensign as the Australian national flag, and the red ensign as the maritime ensign. The blue ensign should have been carried by Australian Olympic teams since then.

Australian Blue & Red Ensigns