Olympic Oath - History

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). This was done in an effort to ensure fairness impartiality.

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.

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. The part concerning doping was added at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

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