IOC displays value of solidarity through motto change: spokesperson

TOKYO - International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams said the IOC wanted to send a signal of solidarity through updating the Olympic motto.

"The Olympic Movement's value is not just about individual excellence, but about a team around you. That is something that the IOC is keen to stress: the value of solidarity," Adams told a press conference here on Tuesday.

"Solidarity is just not about having values, it's about putting values into action," he added.

The IOC approved adding "together" into the Olympic motto. The new motto now reads "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together" after it was unanimously approved at Tuesday's 138th IOC Session.

"The idea of the motto is that you are unable to go faster, go higher and be stronger without a team around you.

"If you really want to do something, you have to work with other people to achieve that. That's the reason behind the updated motto," explained Adams.

The addition of "together" was proposed by Thomas Bach after his re-election as the IOC president during the virtual 137th IOC Session in March, and the recommendation was approved by the IOC Executive Board in April.

With three days to go before the Tokyo Olympic Games begin, Adams attempted to give Japanese public confidence-boosting messages despite some Olympic-related positive COVID-19 cases over the past several days.

"We would like to reassure them again that everything is being done. The latest figure is nearly 30,000 tests at the airport over staff, athletes and stakeholders. Each of those nearly 30,000 people has been tested twice before they arrived. All these people had three tests, nearly 100,000 tests (in total)," he noted.

"We can give them a level of satisfaction that everything is being done by us to try and assure there will be a safe and secure Games.

Kirsty Coventry, Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission and a five-time Olympian, expressed her appreciation toward quality infrastructures and efforts made by local organizers.

"The (Olympic) Village is looking great. Athletes have been super excited. We have been hearing some very positive experiences from athletes. They are excited about the competitions starting," she said.