What’s the Story Behind the Olympic Motto?

wondrous memeWelcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme hosted by Kathy at Bermudaonion.net. Last week, Kathy introduced me to a great word:

banjax:  to ruin (Irish)

Isn’t that fun to say?  I bet I’ll be able to use it week; the impeding snow storm will surely banjax my writing plans.  Visit Bermuda Onion for more great words.

Now, on to…

The Word Nerd Low Down on the Olympic Motto

Are you watching the Olympics?  Do you know the story behind the words of the Olympic motto?

First, do you even know what the Olympic motto is?

In Latin:

citius, altius, fortius

In English: (can you guess before you peek?  Come on Spanish and French students)

 

faster, higher, stronger

 

Opening Ceremony at the Sochi Olympics
Opening Ceremony at the Sochi Olympics

Turns out, this motto originated in the 19th century with a French Dominican priest named Henri Didon, a popular preacher and writer.  When he became principal of a school, Fr. Didon encouraged his students to participate in sports as part of a well-rounded education.

Fr. Didon was friends with Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern Olympic games.  On March 7, 1891, De Couberin attended a lecture given by Fr. Didon to a sports association.  In his speech, Fr. Didon emphasized the value of sports for self-improvement and discipline, and he used the words “citius, altius, fortius“.  De Coubertin liked the phrase and adopted it for the Olympic motto.  

Word Nerd Workout

In only three words, share your thoughts about participation in athletic activities.  This doesn’t have to be about the Olympics- it can be relevant to your experiences with sports.  (But, you can’t use faster, higher, stronger).  My example:

discipline, habit, sweat

Share your three words in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!

Julia 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

18 Comments

  1. Love the origin and I LOVE watching the Olympics. The Russians last night for pairs? I just wrote a post today, mentioning the emotion of sports.

    Devastation, Jubilation, Heart

    1. Yes, I stayed up WAY past my bedtime to watch the Russians skate- and it was worth it. Such hard work. And how about those Germans? They could have given up after the first fall, but they didn’t. Another fine example of sportsmanship.

    1. They definitely could- and that’s one of the things I love about sports. Hopefully, participation in athletics can teach us habits and attitudes useful on and off the field/court/pool deck. 🙂

  2. I have to say I’ve never given any thought to that, but I knew I had to read this as soon as I say your title! I am loving watching the Olympics. Last night when I was watching Shaun White compete, I felt so sad for him…but I was so impressed with the way he handled being left off the podium. He was a true sportsman. It reminded me of another class act recently…Payton Manning. Both are top in my book. Ok so my three words…that’s hard. I’ve been running for 30 years, and I really don’t race much anymore. It’s all about enjoying myself and clearing my head now. So, I’m going with enjoy, clarity, and health. 🙂

    1. Michelle, those are wonderful words, and I run for those very same reasons. I love the examples of good sportsmanship you’ve shared- I’m so glad my kids have some positive role models in the media. Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Hey Julia,

    I did not know that motto, but I’m going to ask my boys when they get home — Latin on one of their favorite subjects. 😉

    Bless you! It’s fun to dig into the origin of slogans/words etc. 😉 Fun!

    🙂 Hester,

      1. Yeah, (they don’t get their ‘grammar’ from me! LOL! You would think their vocab would rub off on me — well, it has a little – I actually learn a lot from them — but they are learning so much more than I ever did when I was their age. 🙂

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