Olympic Oath
The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or official, and one coach at the Opening Ceremony of each Olympic Games. Each oath taker is from the host nation and takes the oath on behalf of all athletes, officials, or coaches at the currently celebrated games. While reciting the oath, the oath taker holds a corner of the Olympic Flag.
With effect from the 2018 Winter Olympics, the three oaths will be combined into one, led by an athlete, although representatives of judges and coaches will still be involved in the taking of the oath.[1]
The Olympic Oaths
The oath taker is usually from the host country. He or she holds a corner of the flag and recites the appropriate oath.
Unified Oath
Beginning in PyeongChang at the 2018 Winter Olympics, there will be just one oath.
A representative for the athletes, judges, and coaches each recites the following lines respectively:
- In the name of the athletes.
- In the name of all judges.
- In the name of all the coaches and officials.
The athletes' representative then completes the oath:
- We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play. We all commit ourselves to sport without doping and cheating. We do this, for the glory of sport, for the honour of our teams and in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism.[1]
Previous oaths
Athletes' Oath
The chosen athlete, a representative of all the participating Olympic competitors, recited the following:
- In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.[2]
The Officials' Oath
The judge/official, also from the host nation, likewise held a corner of the flag but took a different oath:
- In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship.[3]
The Coaches' Oath
Beginning with the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, an additional oath was taken by a coach from the host country:
- In the name of all the coaches and other members of the athletes' entourage, I promise that we shall commit ourselves to ensuring that the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play is fully adhered to and upheld in accordance with the fundamental principles of Olympism.[4]
History
A call for an oath was announced as early as 1906 by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president and founder Pierre de Coubertin in the Revue Olympique (Olympic Review in French).[3] This was done in an effort to ensure fairness impartiality.[3]
The Olympic Oath was first taken at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp by the fencer/water polo player Victor Boin. The first judge's oath was taken at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo by Fumio Asaki.
Victor Boin's oath in 1920 was
- We swear. We will take part in the Olympic Games in a spirit of chivalry, for the honour of our country and for the glory of sport.[3]
In 1961, "swear" was replaced by "promise" and "the honour of our countries" by "the honour of our teams" in an obvious effort to eliminate nationalism at the Olympic Games.[3] Therefore the oath was as follows:
- In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams.[3]
This oath lasted until the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
In 1999, the IOC created the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in an effort to form a more organized battle against doping. Thus, the Athletes Oath was amended to include references to doping and drugs as noted in the above section.
The Oath in other languages
Below are the current (as of 2018) versions of the oath in other languages. The languages are in alphabetical order by English name. The languages that are included are those of the Olympic host countries.
Catalan (Jurament Olímpic)
- En nom de tots els competidors, prometo que participarem en aquests Jocs Olímpics, respectant i atenint-nos a les regles que els governen, comprometent-nos a un esport sense dopatge i sense drogues, amb l'esperit veritable de l'esportivitat, per la glòria de l'esport i l'honor dels nostres equips.
Chinese mandarin (奧林匹克誓詞, Àolínpǐkè shìcí)
- 我以全体运动员的名义保证：为了体育的光荣和团队的荣誉，以真正的体育道德精神参加本届奥林匹克运动会，尊重并遵守运动会各项比赛规则，致力于一个没有兴奋剂和药品的运动会。
- Wǒ yǐ quántǐyùndòngyuán de míngyì bǎozhèng: Wèile tǐyù de guāngróng hé tuánduì de róngyù, yǐ zhēnzhèng de tǐ yù dàodé jīngshén cānjiā běn jiè àolínpǐkè yùndònghuì, zūnzhòng bìng zūnshǒu yùndònghuì gè xiàng bǐsài guīzé, zhìlì yú yīgè méiyǒu xīngfèn jì hé yàopǐn de yùndònghuì.
Finnish (olympiavala)
- Kaikkien kilpailijoiden nimissä lupaan, että osallistumme näihin olympiakisoihin niiden sääntöjä kunnioittaen ja noudattaen, sitoudumme urheilemaan ilman dopingia ja huumeita, oikeassa urheiluhengessä, urheilun ja omien joukkueidemme kunniaksi.
French (Serment olympique)
- Au nom de tous les concurrents, je promets que nous prendrons part à ces Jeux olympiques en respectant et suivant les règles qui les régissent, en nous engageant pour un sport sans dopage et sans drogue, dans un esprit de sportivité, pour la gloire du sport et l'honneur de nos équipes.
German (Olympischer Eid)
- Im Namen aller Athleten verspreche ich, dass wir an den Olympischen Spielen teilnehmen und dabei die gültigen Regeln respektieren und befolgen und uns dabei einem Sport ohne Doping und ohne Drogen verpflichten, im wahren Geist der Sportlichkeit, für den Ruhm des Sports und die Ehre unserer Mannschaft.
Greek (Ολυμπιακός Όρκος, Olympiakós Órkos)
- "Στο όνομα όλων των αθλητών, υπόσχομαι να πάρουμε μέρος σ' αυτούς τους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες, σεβόμενοι τους κανονισμούς που τους διέπουν, προσηλωμένοι σε έναν αθλητισμό χωρίς ντόπινγκ και χωρίς φάρμακα, σύμφωνα με το αληθινό πνεύμα της ευγενούς άμιλλας για τη δόξα του αθλητισμού και την τιμή των ομάδων μας."
- "Sto ónoma ólon ton athlitón, ypóschomai na páro méros s' aftoús tous Olympiakoús Agónes, sevómenos tous kanonismoús pou tous diépoun, prosilomenoi se enan athlitismo choris doping ke farmaka sýmfona me to alithinó pnévma tis evgenoús ámillas gia ti dóxa tou athlitismoú kai tin timí ton omádon mas."
Italian (Giuramento olimpico)
- A nome di tutti i concorrenti, prometto che prenderò parte a questi Giochi Olimpici rispettando e osservando le regole che li governano, impegnandoci nel vero spirito della sportività per uno sport senza doping e senza droghe, per la gloria dello sport e l'onore della mia squadra.
Japanese (オリンピック宣誓, Orinpikku sensei)
- 私たちは、すべての選手の名において、オリンピック憲章に則り、スポーツの栄光と、チームの名誉のために、決してドーピングをしないよう、オリンピック競技大会に参加することを誓います。
- "Watashitachiha, subete no senshu no nanioite, orinpikku kenshō ni nottori, supōtsu no eikō to, chīmu no meiyo no tame ni, kesshite dōpingu o shinai yō, orinpikku kyōgi taikai ni sanka suru koto o chikaimasu."
Korean (올림픽 선서, Ollimpig seonseo)
- 모든 참가 선수들의 이름으로, 나는 스포츠맨십의 진실된 정신으로 스포츠의 영광과 우리 팀의 영예를 위해, 경기 규칙을 존경하며 따르고 도핑과 약물 투여를 하지 않으며 경기에 참여할 것을 약속합니다
- Modeun chamga seonsudeul-ui ileum-eulo, naneun seupocheumaensib-ui jinsildoen jeongsin-eulo seupocheuui yeong-gwang-gwa uli tim-ui yeong-yeleul wihae, gyeong-gi gyuchig-eul jongyeonghamyeo ttaleugo doping-gwa yagmul tuyeoleul haji anh-eumyeo gyeong-gie cham-yeohal geos-eul yagsoghabnida.
Norwegian (Den olympiske ed)
- På vegne av alle deltakere lover jeg at vi vil delta i disse olympiske lekene med respekt og lydighet for lekenes regler, forpliktet til en idrett uten doping og dopingmidler, i god sportsånd, til ære for sporten og til heder for våre lag.
Portuguese (Juramento Olímpico)
- Em nome de todos os competidores, prometo que participaremos nestes Jogos Olímpicos, respeitando e seguindo as regras que os regem, comprometendo-nos a um esporte sem doping e sem drogas, com o espírito verdadeiro da esportividade, para glória do esporte e honra das nossas equipes.
Russian (Олимпийская клятва, Olimpijskaja kliatva)
- От имени всех спортсменов я обещаю, что мы будем участвовать в этих Олимпийских играх, уважая и соблюдая правила, по которым они проводятся, в истинно спортивном духе, во славу спорта и во имя чести своих команд.
- Ot imeni vsekh sportsmenov ya obeshchayu, chto my budem uchastvovat' v etikh Olimpiyskikh igrakh, uvazhaya i soblyudaya pravila, po kotorym oni provodyatsya, v istinno sportivnom dukhe, vo slavu sporta i vo imya chesti svoikh komand.
Serbo-Croatian (Олимпијска заклетва, Olimpijska zakletva / Olimpijska prisega)
- (Serbian) У име свих такмичара, обећавам да ћемо учествовати у овим Олимпијским играма, поштујући и спроводећи правила која владају њима, дајући себе спорту без допинга и дроге, у истинском спортском духу, за славу спорта и част наших екипа.
- U ime svih takmičara, obećavam da ćemo učestvovati u ovim Olimpijskim igrama, poštujući i sprovodeći pravila koja vladaju njima, dajući sebe sportu bez dopinga i droge, u istinskom sportskom duhu, za slavu sporta i čast naših ekipa.
- (Croatian) U ime svih natjecatelja, obećavam da ćemo sudjelovati u ovim Olimpijskim igrama, poštovati i ustrajati u pravilima koja vladaju njima, povjeravajući sebe sportu bez dopinga i droge, u istinskom sportskom duhu, za slavu sporta i čast naših momčadi.
Spanish (Juramento Olímpico)
- En nombre de todos los competidores, prometo que participaremos en estos Juegos Olímpicos, cumpliendo y respetando con sus reglamentos, comprometiéndonos a un deporte sin dopaje y sin drogas, con verdadero espíritu deportivo, por la gloria del deporte y el honor de nuestros equipos y facultades.
Swedish (olympiska eden)
- Som representant för alla tävlande lovar jag att vi skall delta i dessa olympiska spel med osviklig respekt för de regler som styr dem och med löfte om ett utövande utan dopning och utan droger, i sann sportsmannaanda, till glädje för sporten och till heder för våra lag.
Urdu (اولمپک عہد)
- میں (اولمپکس میں) حصہ لینے والے تمام کھلاڑیوں کی طرف سے عہد کرتا ہوں کہ ہم اولمپک کھیلوں کے تمام قوانین کو ملحوظ خاطر رکھتے ہوئے مکمل اسپورٹس میں اسپرٹ کا مظاہرہ کریں گے تاکہ ان کھیلوں اور ہماری ٹیموں کا وقار قائم رہے۔
Speakers
The athletes, judges and coaches that have delivered the Olympic Oath are listed below.[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Athletes to take the lead as oaths at future Olympic Games openings are unified". 12 September 2017.
- ↑ "The Olympic Oath". www.topendsports.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Wendl, Karel. "The Olympic Oath - A Brief History" ''Citius, Altius, Fortius'' (''Journal of Olympic History'' since 1997). Winter 1995. pp. 4,5" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ↑ "Factsheet: Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. June 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
- ↑ "FACTSHEET OPENING CEREMONY OF THE GAMES OF THE OLYMPIAD" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "Star Paddler Zhang Yining Takes Athletes' Oath". 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "Referee Huang Liping takes oath at opening ceremony". Xinhua News Agency. 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- 1 2 "Factsheet: Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. June 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
- 1 2 3 "Dazzling opening ceremony launches 30th Olympic Games". The Times of India. 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
- ↑ "News". Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.