Tokyo Olympic motto gets Covid-era makeover
The Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger” was updated to “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together” on Tuesday to reflect solidarity across the world at the time of Covid-19.
The International Olympic Committee approved the change at its session ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed last year and were in danger of cancellation over the pandemic.
“We see everywhere the collaborative effort bringing faster and better solutions than working in silos,” said IOC president Thomas Bach as the proposal received unanimous backing.
“Faster, Higher, Stronger,” or “Citius, Altius, Fortius” in Latin, has been the Olympic motto since 1894, when it was adopted at the birth of the IOC at the suggestion of the body’s founder, Pierre de Coubertin.
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The Latin version of the new motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter.”
Separately, ski mountaineering was approved as an additional sport for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
‘Ski-mo’ involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness, and then descending on skis, and is particularly popular in Italy.
Five medal events – two men’s (sprint/individual), two women’s (sprint/individual) and one mixed-gender relay – will be contested at the 2026 Games.