Why does an athlete take the oath at the Olympic Games?
When an athlete takes the Olympic oath at the opening ceremony, he/she commits, on behalf of all the other competitors, to respect the rules and take part the competitions in a spirit of fair play.
The reciting of the Olympic oath by an athlete has been one of the protocol elements of the opening ceremony since the 1920 Games in Antwerp. The text, originally written by Pierre de Coubertin, has since evolved. Since the 2000 Games in Sydney, it has included a sentence committing to sport without doping.
These days, as well as on behalf of the athletes, the Olympic oath is taken on behalf of the officials and coaches.
At the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the number of oath-takers is extended from three to six – two athletes, two coaches and two judges. This is in line with the IOC’s and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee’s drive towards gender equality as it enables full gender balance amongst those taking the oath on behalf of all Games participants.