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The Olympic Creed & Motto

The Olympic Creed

Pierre de Coubertin got the idea for this phrase from a speech given by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot at a service for Olympic champions during the 1908 Olympic Games.

New Wembley Stadium A version of the creed, show at the 1948 Olympic Games

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The Olympic Motto

In 1921 Pierre de Coubertin borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto. The motto in Latin was "Citius, Altius, Fortius" - which translates in English as "Swifter, Higher, Stronger".

Since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the International Olympic Committee amended the motto to include the word 'Together. The motto now reads: "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together".



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Olympics Extra

The next Olympics will be in Paris 2024, followed by the Winter edition in Milan-Cortina 2026. Check out the list of Olympic Games sports, as well as discontinued and demonstration sports.

Major Events Extra

The largest sporting event in the world is the Olympic Games, but there are many other multi-sport games. In terms of single sport events, nothing beats the FIFA World Cup. To see what's coming up, check out the calendar of major sporting events.

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