Origin of the Olympics' Motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius

You might be surprised to learn that "Citius, Altius, Fortius" wasn't created by an Olympic official — it came from a Dominican priest named Henri Didon in 1891. Pierre de Coubertin later adopted it for the Olympic movement, though it didn't become officially recognized until the 1924 Paris Games, a full 43 years later. In 2021, the IOC even added "Communiter" (Together) to the motto. There's a lot more to this story than you'd expect.

Key Takeaways

• The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" was created by Dominican priest Henri Didon in 1891 for a school athletic festival in Paris.
• Pierre de Coubertin adopted Didon's motto for the Olympic movement after attending Didon's 1891 school sport festival.
• The motto's familiar order "Citius, Altius, Fortius" first appeared alongside the Olympic rings in 1914.
• Despite being proposed in 1894, the motto only became officially recognized at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, 43 years after its creation.
• In 2021, IOC President Thomas Bach expanded the motto by adding "Communiter" (Together), reflecting global unity amid COVID-19.

Why a Dominican Priest Created the Olympic Motto

Henri Didon was born in 1840 and entered the Rondeau Minor Seminary in Grenoble at just nine years old. He took the Dominican habit at 16 and was ordained a priest at 22. His Henri Didon's liberal Catholic vision drove him to reconcile the Church with modern French society and secular institutions.

Around 1890, he became principal of St. Albert the Great School in Paris, where he built a robust athletic program. He believed sports could bridge Catholic and public education. Didon's emphasis on student-centered athleticism meant keeping parents from dominating competitions, letting students take personal responsibility for their growth. He saw physical competition as a tool for developing both body and spirit, ultimately inspiring the motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" in 1891. The motto was first embroidered on the school's athletic flag, symbolizing the competitive spirit Didon sought to instill in his students. It was Pierre de Coubertin who adopted the motto for the International Olympic Committee, ensuring its lasting place in athletic history.

How De Coubertin Made the Olympic Motto Official

When Pierre de Coubertin closed the Olympic Foundation Congress at the Sorbonne on June 23, 1894, he proposed three Latin words—*citius*, altius, *fortius*—as the motto for the Olympic Movement, crediting them to his friend Father Henri Didon. Coubertin's adaptation transformed a phrase from a Dominican school sports event into a universal athletic ideal representing athletic, technical, moral, and educational aspirations.

The standardization process unfolded gradually. The IOC's Official Bulletin initially printed the sequence as citius–fortius–altius in July 1894, likely for stylistic reasons. The familiar order you recognize today—*citius–altius–fortius*—appeared alongside the five Olympic rings at the 1914 Paris Congress. De Coubertin himself drew that design. The motto then received its first official Olympic use at the 1924 Paris Games. Didon first coined the phrase at a 1891 school sport festival, where Coubertin was in attendance and found himself deeply inspired by it.

In 2021, the motto underwent a historic change when the word Together was added, making the official motto read: Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together, reflecting a new emphasis on unity and collaboration within the Olympic Movement.

What Does Citius, Altius, Fortius Actually Mean?

A deeper linguistic analysis of the Latin words reveals they're comparative forms, meaning "faster," not just "fast." That grammatical choice matters. It signals constant progression rather than a fixed standard.

This reflects the philosophical significance of the motto's individualistic ethos—you're not competing against others but against your own previous best. De Coubertin believed sport's true purpose was self-improvement, and these three words capture that perfectly. Coubertin himself emphasized that sport is about participation, not winning.

The motto was originally proposed by French Dominican Fr. Henri Didon, who saw athleticism as a means to develop virtues and foster civic unity among people.

Why Did the Olympic Motto Take 43 Years to Become Official?

Though De Coubertin proposed "Citius, Altius, Fortius" at the Sorbonne in 1894, it didn't become the official Olympic motto until 1924—a 43-year journey from Henri Didon's original utterance at a school sports event in 1881. The olympic motto adoption timeline reflects deliberate, phased integration rather than immediate formalization.

After 1894, organizers prioritized establishing the Games themselves, the Olympic rings, and other foundational symbols. The 1914 Paris Congress publicly showcased the motto alongside the rings, advancing the olympic motto acceptance process, but stopped short of official IOC recognition.

Post-World War I recovery further shaped the movement's priorities. By 1924, De Coubertin's final year as IOC president, conditions aligned perfectly, and the motto finally debuted officially at the Paris Games, completing its remarkably long journey. De Coubertin described the motto as a program of moral beauty, reflecting its deeper purpose beyond athletic competition alone.

De Coubertin was not only a champion of the Olympic Games but also a dedicated educator who believed in sport's role in schooling, seeing athletic competition as a vehicle for moral and intellectual development.

How Did "Together" Change the Olympic Motto in 2021?

IOC President Thomas Bach first proposed the change in March 2021, emphasizing solidarity amid COVID-19's global disruptions. He argued that strengthening global unity was essential to achieving the motto's original aspirations.

The Latin version became "Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter," and the Olympic Charter was amended accordingly.

The IOC also launched its "Stronger Together" campaign on June 22, 2021, spotlighting athletes' pandemic journeys and building momentum for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Maggie MacNeil was named the ANOC Best Female Athlete of the Tokyo 2020 Games, exemplifying the elevated performances the updated motto sought to inspire.

The motto change was formally approved at the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo, marking a historic update to the Olympic Charter that reflected the movement's evolving commitment to global solidarity and unity.