The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shortened the oaths taken by athletes, coaches and officials during the Olympic opening ceremonies. The change will take effect at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Where the oath was previously recited first by athletes, then by officials, then by coaches, the new system will combine the three together, with athletes reciting the oath on behalf of both coaches and officials. The IOC says the move will shorten the opening ceremonies “considerably.”
The new oath will start with each nation’s representatives identifying all three Olympic roles, then reciting the oath on behalf of all three. Here’s what the full oath will sound like, per the IOC:
Each representative recites their specific line:
“In the name of the athletes”
“In the name of all judges.”
“In the name of all the coaches and officials”
The athlete then recites on behalf of all three categories:
“We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play.
We all commit ourselves to sport without doping and cheating.
We do this, for the glory of sport, for the honour of our teams and in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism.”
The IOC also made a handful of other changes in advance of PyeongChang 2018. Three athletes were exempted from the traditional three-year wait period for athletes changing nationalities. Two are bobsledders and one a cross country skier. You can read the full IOC press release here.
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