There are no Olympics without the Olympic Oath: the words etched in eternity by De Coubertin will open also the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games
Some people get goosebumps, some other are immortalised with teary eyes. Others have gazes full of wonder. And that moment is truly enchanting: all the Olympics begin with their own fairy tale. And are narrated for eternity, starting from the beginning, which sounds like 'once upon a time...'. Every Olympic fairy tale can only begin with its Opening Ceremony. Inclusive and exclusive at the same time, unique, magical: so will be the case for Milano Cortina 2026, with an opening venue steeped in history and legend.
Have you ever been lucky enough to attend a live Olympics Opening Ceremony? Have you? It makes all the difference in the world. And this time... the Winter Olympics come back to Italy, to San Siro Meazza stadium in Milan, where football matches that went down in history, legendary concerts, and daily football passion have and do taken place. The Stadium will host the Olympics Opening Ceremony, and there is no better occasion to experience it live, at least once in your lifetime. One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics will take place in the city of Milan: the Olympic Oath.
Hearing it out loud is an unrepeatable emotion, not only because it is a historical and generational bridge between Olympic games editions, but also because of its ability to preserve their tradition and inalienable principles.
A simple and straightforward formula, with emblematic value and meaning, as through the Olympic Oath sports reveal each and every one of their cornerstones.
An indelible first time: Antwerp, 1920
The Olympic Oath was written by Pierre de Coubertin, considered the father of the modern Olympics, at the end of the 19th century. It was first pronounced at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp.
Very few revisions, and all meliorative: the text, in essence, has remained faithful to the original; in the past, the ceremonial provided for more than one pronouncement by athletes, referees and coaches, but since the 2018 edition in Pyeongchang, the International Olympic Committee has introduced a single oath. This will also be the case at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
The oath... in Cortina
Almost 70 years ago, the audience could experience the unique emotion of seeing the Olympic Oath performed live in Cortina.
In 1956, Giuliana Minuzzo, the first Italian woman to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Olympics - a third place in downhill skiing in Oslo 1952 - also wrote a milestone in the world of sports, becoming the first woman in history to read the Olympic Oath (between the Summer and Winter Games), in the first Five Circles event ever hosted in our country.
The text of the Olympic oath
Principles, behaviour, goals: what's important is the path to victory, rather than winning per se. Fairness and respect, loyalty and commitment: the value of every athlete competing starts here.
What does the Olympic oath say? Here they are, faithfully replicated, the words etched in Olympic history:
"In the name of the athletes. In the name of all judges. In the name of all the coaches and officials. We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport."
The values of sport are the most important victory
It is an oath of civilisation, with no mentioning of leading positions or records, of victories or successes. The common thread is 'respect': respect for rules, for opponents, for health, for the team, and for the sports community. This is the only way through which victories, leading positions and records can give back the deeper and more exclusive meaning of a sporting challenge. It is the indelible experience that each Olympics - in an ideal relay race, as with the Olympic torch - passes on from one sports discipline to the other, from one generation to the next, from one Country to another. Few other sports moments manage to convey such involvement.
A unique and intense emotion, to be experienced like magic, in the venues of the 25th Winter Olympics.
