The Olympic motto CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS – FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER has inspired and motivated generations of Olympic athletes over the years. A motto that, has been all about aspiration, achievement, and excellence, has now changed!

The renewed motto of the Olympic Games was officially announced on July 20th by the International Olympic Committee. A motto that now recognises not only the spirit of excellence but most importantly the unifying power of sports. All that with just the addition of one single yet powerful word: TOGETHER – which gave a new perspective to the purpose and meaning of the Olympic Games.

In his remarks, before receiving a unanimous vote, IOC President Thomas Bach explained in a single sentence the deep significance of this change and the link between the renewed and the original motto: “Solidarity fuels our mission to make the world a better place through sport. We can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger by standing together – in solidarity.”

Looking back in time we will see how the postponement of the Olympic Games led to this new perspective and how COVID-19, the virus that shut down the world, contributed to unite people and give hope to the entire planet.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 virus invaded and quickly spread across the entire world having an impact that led to a global unprecedented crisis. Cities and whole countries went on lockdown with the closure of schools, cultural and sports venues and all non-essential businesses, while international travel was severely restricted.

On 11 March 2020, just four months before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the World Health Organization declared that the global COVID-19 epidemic had spread to the point of constituting a pandemic. It was clear to everyone that the way in which we lived our lives was about to change imminently – and it did.

Under those new circumstances, the world’s biggest sporting event could not take place and so on 24 March 2020, the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was officially announced. That decision was taken not only to protect the health of Olympic athletes and those involved in staging the Games, but to also protect the wider public health in the host city and country, with the expectation that the pandemic would be contained by July 2021.

The decision brought a sense of relief but also impending chaos to the international sports community. Never before had the Olympic Games been postponed or canceled for anything other than war. The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was perceived as a major setback to the host country Japan, in terms of massive financial loss as the organisers of Tokyo 2020 estimated the cost to be roughly around $12.6 billion, while other experts put that figure closer to $25 billion. The delay would also impact the billions spent by sponsors and broadcasters. However, and most importantly, the cancellation of the Games would have a disastrous impact to the 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4,400 Paralympians who were due to take part in this mega event. It is well known that the Olympics offer these top and elite athletes a rare golden opportunity to demonstrate their talent and worth in front of the world and they prepare and train very hard for it. The postponement or cancellation of these Olympic Games would surely jeopardise the professional career of several top athletes.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were then scheduled to take place in July-August 2021 and throughout this entire year of disruption, the biggest challenge for the athletes was to maintain their regular training without losing any of their physical abilities, but most importantly, it was to stay mentally healthy.

A survey conducted by the International Olympic Committee in May 2020 revealed that managing mental health and sports careers, as well as nutrition and diet, were the biggest challenges the athletes faced during the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey was conducted among more than 4,000 athletes and entourage members from 135 countries and was available in eight languages. The results highlight that 50 per cent of the athletes struggled with the complexity of conducting proper training as a consequence of the restrictions imposed in most countries to contain the virus.

Managing mental health and sports careers (both 32 per cent) were identified as the two biggest challenges, followed by nutrition and diet (30 per cent).

Recognising the importance of mental health, the IOC published a Consensus Paper on Mental Health in 2019, and the topic was extensively discussed at the International Athletes’ Forum. These discussions led to the creation of a Mental Health Toolkit for athletes. Additional resources on how to stay positive during isolation were made available for athletes at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, the IOC launched a series of webinars to support and inspire athletes during these uncertain times. Other webinars opened the floor directly to athletes for them to share the lessons learned and explain how they managed to overcome the issues they were confronted with during lockdown. Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge provided his unique insight and advice on how to stay motivated and how to reach his goals.

“I said to myself that this is a big challenge, but I am a marathoner, and the marathon is like life, we have many courses in the world – flat courses, uphill and downhill – and this period of COVID-19 is like an uphill course, where we need to live in a slow way, in a positive way, in order to finish the race well.”

While the athletes struggled to keep up with their daily routine and prepare individually for the Olympic Games, the sports community impulsively developed a strong sense of connectedness through digital communication technologies.

During long months of isolation, the fast-evolving technology available nowadays allowed people to stay in contact with others and thus, social media tools were used as means to connect to each other globally.

This feature of modern times became even more apparent to many athletes, their support teams, and their sport organisations when their professional and social worlds became dominated by the Internet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The athletes struggled to stay active and mentally healthy during that time when all competitions were cancelled, and the medical professionals who worked with these athletes, faced many challenges as they struggled to continue to support athletes when there were severe travel restrictions and social distancing for significant periods of time.

The universe of athletes, like so many other social groups, became dominated by online interactions. This has presented many of these athletes with significant challenges, such as how to self-identify when they are unable to compete and earn a living from their sport, and how to stay active and fit when their training venues are closed and they are forced to spend long periods of time in isolation.

Many athletes around the world also featured in the IOC’s #StayStrong, #StayActive and #StayHealthy digital campaign, which from March 2020 onwards shined a spotlight on athletes’ efforts to stay active during lockdown and keep their spirits up during that unforeseen period.

After a long year of uncertainty, of hope and disappointment and as we were approaching the opening ceremony of the 32nd edition of the Olympic Games, the pandemic was far from being over. The progress brought by medicine and the global vaccination campaigns couldn’t rule out the scenario of the Games being cancelled.

A spectator ban was announced by the International Olympic Committee on 8 July, saying that it is the first time ever that a host city will not have spectators watching the event. While poll results were released showing that nearly 80% of people in Japan claimed that the Olympics should not go ahead as scheduled. Lastly, came the announcement of the Japanese doctor’s union in May 2021, which stated that it was “impossible” to hold the Games given the pandemic.

Despite though the challenges mentioned above, IOC President Thomas Bach insisted the Games must go ahead “to give hope” for the future; and he was right!

On 23 July 2021, The Olympics Opening Ceremony officially kicked off the Games with athletes from over 200 countries parading in a nearly empty stadium, as Japan continued to report record COVID-19 cases. And so, among strict protocols and daily Rapid and PCR testing, the competitions went on.

• Athletes’ broke world records,

• Japan won a record number of medals,

• 29 refugee athletes participated in 12 sports,

• Three NOCs -Turkmenistan, Burkina Faso and San Marino - won their first medals in Olympic Games,

• Teams who received Olympic Solidarity scholarships won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals plus eight diplomas,

• And three diplomas were awarded to the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

We all witnessed some of the most amazing moments in the history of Olympic Games and we all realised that the Olympic spirit is alive and strong.

So many incredible examples of courage and skill; of sportsmanship and emotion came to life befitting the new Olympic motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger

– Together.”

• 2 high-jump athletes Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy and Mutaz Essa Barshim from Qatar chose to share the Gold rather than compete at a “jump-off.”

• In the middle of Men’s 800-meter semi-finals, Botswana’s Nijel Amos and USA’s Isaiah Jewett got tangled up and fell to the ground, and got eliminated from the competition. But rather than turn on each other, the athletes helped one another up, embraced, and walked to the finish line together.

• When South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold in women’s 200m breaststroke - breaking a world record in the process, she couldn’t quite believe it. But soon enough fellow swimmers and competitors Kaylene Corbett (RSA), Lilly King and Annie Lazor swam over to her and congratulated her, with all four women sharing an embrace in the water.

In this year’s Games social media campaigns played a key role not only during the Games, but especially in the phase of the athletes’ preparation, both physical and mental.

However, we must also mention the importance of the broadcast coverage, which have made this edition of Olympic Games even more digital and image based.

Since Tokyo 2020’s postponement back in March 2020, archive footage and athlete-led content has proven vital to sustaining interest and engagement, while there was nothing happening in the global sports scene.

Moreover, during Games time and with no spectators being able to feel the vibes of the competitions taking place in the Olympic venues, the Olympic Channel took over a key role and so Tokyo 2020 content was made available to fans on more screens than ever, through TV, digital platforms, apps and social media. While RHB’s streaming platforms broke records with Tokyo 2020 being called “the Streaming Games” (in more than 220 countries and territories in the world) bringing the Olympic Games closer to the younger generations of fans.

Let us see some key facts and figures describing the expansion of TV broadcasting during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

This year we had:

– 9,500+ estimated hours of content produced by the OBS. That is 30% more content compared to the Olympic Games Rio 2016

– 39 broadcast compounds (12 more than in Rio 2016)

– In terms of international connectivity, the international bandwidth was multiplied by ten in comparison to the previous Games.

And here are some innovative ideas in terms of Broadcasting that were implemented for the first time at an Olympic Games

1. Full native UHD HDR production,

2. New Technologies like multi-cameras replay systems, 3D Athlete Tracking, Biometric Data (Archery), live immersive 180 degrees stereoscopic and 360 degrees panoramic coverage, virtual 3D graphics (Sport Climbing),

3. Coverage of seven outside Tennis courts, as well as certain press conferences via remote production,

4. OBS cloud and virtualized workflows,

5. More sustainable IBC Design,

6. Focus on Digital and social media and fan engagement (OBS created an innovative digital fan engagement suite, which allows remote viewers to interact with live events in Tokyo and RHBs to connect athletes with their fans).

With the digitalization of the sports, The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were more youthful, more urban, more gender friendly, bringing in new audiences and new communities.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was unique, and as promised, delivered safe and secure Games. An unprecedented global effort together with the resilience and determination of the Japanese citizens made it possible to deliver safe Olympic Games that will leave a lasting legacy beyond sport. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 gave the world hope in the fight against COVID-19.

This year’s summer Olympics were unique also because they were carried by a powerful global movement of solidarity, which gave strength to the Olympic Movement to deliver successful games, while the entire globe was filled with uncertainty and pessimism.

On 21 June, one month before the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony and as the public opinion was still reluctant towards the Olympic Games taking place as planned, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched “Stronger Together”, a global Olympic campaign that celebrated athletes by showcasing their journey to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and how they kept moving even when the world around them stopped. The story celebrated their strength, resilience, and determination to bring hope, unity and inspiration to people around the world.

Scheduled to launch ahead of Olympic Day (23 June), the story featured world-renowned athletes, including past and present Olympians Usain Bolt, Naomi Osaka, Andre De Grasse, Yusra Mardini and Nyjah Houston. Tony Hawk was also present, representing the skateboarding community as they entered their first-ever Games.

It focused on a people-centric message - Stronger Together- emphasising the IOC’s message of solidarity and the belief that the world moves forward only when it moves together, showcasing the irresistible power of the Olympic Games to unite people, communities and societies across the globe.

The #StrongerTogether campaign was designed to unite people around the world while building excitement for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – and it succeeded!

Video

https://olympics.com/en/video/strongertogether-tokyo-2020-olympic-film-feat-usain-bolt-naomi-osaka

Conclusion

TOGETHER, is the new concept that has undoubtedly enriched and benefited the Olympic spirit. In the same way, it should inspire nations to join and put an end to all crisis and challenges the world is facing, among which the disastrous effects of climate change.

This edition of Olympic Games has contributed in many ways to an ecofriendly environment, by achieving sustainability and leaving a legacy where future generations will embrace the joy and excitement brought by the world’s greatest sporting event.

• 60.4 per cent of adults in Tokyo now engage in regular sporting activity in 2021, compared to 53.9 per cent in 2012.

• Out of the 43 competition venues used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, only eight were built from scratch.

• 10 Tokyo 2020 venues were temporary and 25 existing, with five already used at the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964.

• For the first time in Olympic history, hydrogen was used to power the Olympic torch, the cauldron, the Olympic fleet and parts of the Olympic Village.

• For the first time ever, both the Olympic medals and the podiums which athletes stand on were produced using 100 per cent recycled materials.

• 150,000 new initiatives were put in place to create a more sustainable society.

• People donated 6.21 million mobile phones and almost 79,000 tons of electronics for the creation of the 5,000 Olympic medals.

• The 24 buildings of the Olympic Village will become Japan’s first Hydrogen-powered town and a barrier-free hub for international exchanges and multi-generational activities.

• The 18,000 cardboard beds used during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics are set to be made available for COVID-19 patients in a temporary medical facility in Osaka by the end of the month.

The renewed Olympic motto FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER - TOGETHER has taken on its full meaning with Tokyo 2020, proving to the world that the only way to run faster, climb higher and grow stronger in difficult times is to stand together!

After all this is what Olympic Games are all about - A moment in time when all nations come together to celebrate the greatness of sports through equality, peace, and SOLIDARITY!

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CAPRALOS Spyros, "Faster– Higher – Stronger / Together", in:K. Georgiadis (ed.), Olympic Games and the Pandemic: Opportunities, Challenges and Changes , 61th International Session for Young Participants (Ancient Olympia, 17-23/09/2021), International Olympic Academy, Athens, 2022, pp.23-30.

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