Flag etiquette? Believe it or not, a part of Team USA's Olympic prep

PARIS − It's the moment that every U.S. athlete at this summer's Paris Olympics has dreamed about, and perhaps visualized: They win a medal at the Summer Games. The crowd roars. Cameras flash. And as they start to celebrate, someone hands them an American flag.

Believe it or not, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee actually coaches every member of Team USA on what should happen next.

They're taught how to properly (and respectfully) celebrate with the American flag.

"We just want them to be ready," a USOPC spokesperson explained.

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In the leadup to the Paris Olympics, which formally begin Friday with the opening ceremony, each Team USA athlete has participated in an Olympic Games readiness course hosted by the USOPC. The course covers everything from rules and regulations they will face at the Games, to resources that will be available to them, to little things that many television viewers would never think about − like celebrating with the flag.

While the official guidelines for how the American flag can and should be displayed are outlined in the U.S. Flag Code, the USOPC offers its athletes a few key bullet points, according to a copy of the organization's "flag etiquette" guidelines provided to USA TODAY Sports.

Among the flag etiquette recommendations for athletes:

• Make sure the flag is displayed with the stars behind you on the right
• Raise the flag above your head
• Return the flag to a coach before leaving the field of play

The biggest no-nos, meanwhile, are displaying the flag with the stars down, wearing the flag or letting the flag touch the ground.

"After running a race, you can't wrap your body around (the flag) even though you're showing love for it," retired track and field star Jackie Joyner-Kersee told ESPN in 2012.

"Someone will be watching who doesn't even care about sports, but all they know about is how you treat that flag."

The USOPC spokesperson said the national Olympic committee and its athletes do receive messages from TV viewers about even minor issues during flag celebrations, though the messages are often "more educational in nature than scolding."

At the 2018 Winter Games, for example, snowboarder Shaun White received backlash for letting the American flag brush against the ground following his gold medal victory in the halfpipe competition. White later said in a news conference that the flag slipped while he was trying to put his gloves on and get a hold of his snowboard.

"So honestly, if there was anything, I definitely didn’t mean any disrespect," White said. "The flag that’s flying on my house right now is way up there. So sorry for that."

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.