Olympic Oath

The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete—as a representative of each of the participating Olympic competitors; by one judge—as a representative of each officiating Olympic referee or other official; and by one coach—as a representative of "each" coach and athletes' escort at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games. It was spoken in Mandarin Chinese at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and in Italian at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

The athlete, from the team of the organizing country, holds a corner of the Olympic Flag while reciting the oath. The Oath is a very important symbol for the Olympics.

Olympic Oath:

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.^[1]

The judge, also from the host nation, likewise holds a corner of the flag but takes a slightly 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.^[1]

Since the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, an additional oath is 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.^[2]

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).^[1] This was done in an effort to ensure fairness impartiality.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

The Oath in other languages

Below are the current (as of 2016) 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)

我謹以全體參賽者的名義保證：為了體育的光榮和團隊的榮譽，我們將以真正的體育道德精神參加本屆奧林匹克運動會，光明磊落，尊重並遵守運動會各項比賽規則，致力於一個沒有興奮劑和藥品的運動會。

Wǒ jǐn yǐ quántǐ cānsài zhě de míngyì bǎozhèng: Wèile tǐyù de guāngróng hé tuánduì de róngyù, wǒmen jiāng yǐ zhēnzhèng de tǐyù dàodé jīngshén cānjiā běn jiè àolínpǐkè yùndònghuì, guāngmínglěiluò, 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 πάρω μέρος σ' αυτούς τους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες, σεβόμενος τους κανονισμούς που τους διέπουν, 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, 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 (おりんぴっく せんせい, 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.

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.

Speakers

The athletes, judges and coaches that have delivered the Olympic Oath are listed below.^[3]

See also

• Olympic symbols

References