Olympic Values in 2025: Unpacking "Citius, Altius, Fortius" Meaning
- insidetherings
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
"Faster, Higher, Stronger"—three words that once echoed across ancient stadiums and modern arenas now reverberate through a far more complex world.
In 2025, the Olympic motto—Citius, Altius, Fortius—is more than a call to physical excellence. It’s a living expression of resilience, reinvention, and relevance in an era shaped by global crises, digital revolutions, and cultural reckoning. But what does this iconic phrase truly mean today, beyond the track and field?
To answer that, we need to step back in time—and then leap forward.
The Olympic Motto Forged in Idealism
When the French Dominican priest Henri Didon coined Citius, Altius, Fortius in 1891, and Pierre de Coubertin adopted it for the modern Olympic Games in 1894, it reflected a 19th-century ethos: the cultivation of the human spirit through sport. It was not about beating others—it was about surpassing oneself.
But over time, the motto became shorthand for medal counts, world records, and highlight reels. Victory, not virtue, began to dominate the narrative.
2025: A Different Arena
Today’s athletes are no longer just competing on tracks, slopes, or courts.
They’re navigating:
Digital pressures — every moment scrutinized on social media
Geopolitical tensions — sport entangled with international conflict and diplomacy
Mental health battles — as Simone Biles and others have courageously revealed
In this context, Citius, Altius, Fortius cannot remain a static slogan stitched into banners or recited at ceremonies. It must evolve—becoming a living principle that adapts to a world in flux, one that honors not just physical excellence but ethical progress, human dignity, and our collective capacity to rise together.
“Faster” Is No Longer Just About Speed
Speed once meant milliseconds on the stopwatch.
Now it also means:
Faster adaptation to adversity. Athletes pivoting mid-career. Cities rethinking legacy plans. NGBs embracing new technologies.
Faster communication. The rise of athlete-driven content—unfiltered, authentic, and real.
Faster connection. Global audiences unite instantly to celebrate or critique.
“Faster” in 2025 is a metaphor for agility—not just of the body, but of the mind and spirit. It’s about how swiftly we respond to adversity, how rapidly we reimagine what’s possible, and how urgently we reach across borders, time zones, and generations to connect through sport.
“Higher” Has Become More Than Vertical Leap
The 2020s demanded more of athletes than ever before.
To reach “higher” today means:
Higher standards of ethics and fairness, in doping regulation, gender inclusion, and rule enforcement.
Higher purpose, as athletes leverage their platforms for social justice, education, and humanitarian causes.
Higher resilience, especially for those from conflict zones, underfunded programs, or marginalized identities.
“Higher” in 2025 reflects the elevation of spirit and cause—a commitment to rising above limitation, prejudice, and fear. It’s the striving that lifts us all: from podiums to protests, from grassroots fields to global forums, from ambition to action.
“Stronger” Now Includes Vulnerability
In the past, strength meant power and endurance.
But in 2025, it also means:
Mental fortitude—coping with anxiety, burnout, and the loneliness of elite pursuit.
Team strength—valuing the collective over the individual, in relay teams, federations, or grassroots clubs.
Moral courage—speaking up against abuse, corruption, or exclusion, even at personal risk.
True strength in 2025 embraces vulnerability as a form of power—not a weakness to be hidden, but a truth to be honored. It’s the quiet resilience of starting over, the courage to ask for help, and the solidarity that forms when athletes—and the systems that support them—stand up for one another.
Adding “Communiter” – Together
In 2021, the IOC amended the motto to: Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter. (Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.)
This addition was not symbolic—it was strategic. It signaled that in a fractured world, the Olympic Movement must champion solidarity over supremacy.
"Together" challenges the zero-sum mindset that has plagued international sport. It means collaboration between nations, between able-bodied and disabled athletes, between tradition and innovation.
As former IOC President Thomas Bach noted, “Only together can we go faster, aim higher, and become stronger.”
Why It Still Matters
Some critics dismiss Olympic ideals as outdated in a commercialized, politicized world. But that’s precisely why we need them. Not as nostalgic slogans—but as compass points.
The motto invites every generation to redefine excellence. To wrestle with the contradictions. To grow the Games not just in scale—but in meaning.
For a 14-year-old skater in a small town. For a coach in a refugee camp. For a fan remembering their childhood heroes. Citius, Altius, Fortius is still a beacon.
Call to Action: Reclaiming the Motto
If we want the Olympic Movement to thrive in this decade, we must:
Reframe competition as collaboration. Celebrate both champions and contributors.
Elevate diverse voices. From women’s sport to adaptive sport, the motto belongs to everyone.
Challenge superficial storytelling. Go beyond highlight reels—tell the whole truth of athlete journeys.
Connect legacy to action. Use Olympic history to inspire today's leaders, not just fans.
As Coubertin himself said, “The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”
Final Thoughts
In 2025, Citius, Altius, Fortius isn’t just about pushing the limits of the human body. It’s about reimagining what human potential looks like when pursued with empathy, equity, and unity.
It is not a race we run alone. It is a climb we make—together.
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