What is the motto of the Tokyo Olympics 2020?
A new Olympic motto was announced by the IOC President Thomas Bach on Tuesday in the hope of better reflecting a pandemic stricken world.
The International Olympic Committee decided upon the change with the new motto being, "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together." The specific motto for the Tokyo games remains unchanged, "United by Emotion."
It's the first time the motto has changed since the inception of the modern Olympics back in 1894.
Why was the Olympic motto changed?
The change was, according to the IOC article, the new motto will better represent solidarity compared to the original after an extremely testing 18 months. The IOC said they wanted to reflect the hardships the world has enjured but also to demonstrate how the games can bring people together. President Bach said the words take on a special meaning as the commitment to the games is an "act of faith in the future," as the world begins to exit the pandemic.
The Olympic motto prior was the first three words, "Citius, Altius, Fortius" - Latin that translate to "Faster, Higher, Stronger". It was chosen by the French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and birthed the modern Olympic games. The new Latin will now say, “Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter.”
Bach stressed the importance of solidarity within the Olympic Movement and beyond, “We want to put a strong focus on solidarity. That’s what the word ‘together’ means - solidarity.”
The IOC followed this by stressing the potential the Olympics has to unite the world with sport, especially important in a time of great global turmoil.
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How are the games trying to deal with covid-19?
The IOC has been criticised for its headstrong commitment to the games, games that have proved wildly unpopular with the Japanese public due to the pandemic. They have already been delayed from 2020 but the organisation says they have no option but to host them this year.
The IOC has repeatedly insisted the games can be held in a safe manner without a risk to the general population of Japan. However, with thousands of athletes and support staff descending on Tokyo, the likelihood of transmission is very high. Indeed, there are claims that the Athletes' village covid-19 bubble has already burst amidst an outbreak of cases.
And it's not just the athletes who are falling ill. Tokyo is seeing case numbers that could reach 2,000 a day by the end of the month and are already at a six-month high. Contravening the official IOC line, the head of Tokyo 2020, Toshiro Muto, said yesterday that an extremely late cancellation was not out of the question. A spokesman for Tokyo 2020 later said organisers were, “concentrating 100% on delivering successful Games.”
Tokyo 2020 is already being held without spectators.