UPSC Prelims 2021 Q99: Tokyo 2020 Olympics Motto and New Sports
Consider the following statements in respect of the 32nd Summer Olympics:
1. The official motto for this Olympics is 'A New World'.
2. Sport Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate and Baseball are included in this Olympics.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — The official motto of the Tokyo 2020 Games (the 32nd Summer Olympics) was 'United by Emotion'. The organisers announced it in February 2020. 'A New World' ('Um mundo novo') was the slogan of the previous Games, Rio 2016, unveiled in June 2016. Do not confuse either one with the IOC's permanent Olympic motto. In July 2021 the IOC changed that motto to 'Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together'.
- 2: correct — In 2016 the IOC accepted the Tokyo organisers' proposal to add sport climbing, surfing, skateboarding and karate, and to bring back baseball/softball. Baseball and softball had last been played at Beijing 2008. Climbing, surfing, skateboarding and karate made their Olympic debut in Tokyo. With these additions the Games had 33 sports and 339 events, five sports more than Rio 2016.
How to eliminate
This question cannot be solved by logic alone. Neither statement uses an absolute word, and the options cover all four combinations. A few things still help. Tokyo 2020 was widely reported as the Games that brought in 'youth' sports like skateboarding, surfing and climbing, plus karate from the host country. That makes Statement 2 easy to accept. Baseball is very popular in Japan, so its return at a Tokyo Games is plausible. Statement 1 is a classic UPSC trap because it takes a real slogan from the wrong Games. 'A New World' belonged to Rio 2016. Facts to remember: Tokyo 2020 = 'United by Emotion'; Rio 2016 = 'A New World'; Paris 2024 = 'Games Wide Open'; IOC motto since July 2021 = 'Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together'.
Know more
Games slogan vs Olympic motto
The Olympic Movement has one permanent motto. Each host city also picks its own slogan for its edition of the Games. UPSC often tests whether you can tell the two apart.
- Olympic motto: 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' (Faster, Higher, Stronger), adopted in 1894 at Pierre de Coubertin's urging. On 20 July 2021 the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo voted to add 'Communiter', so it now reads 'Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together'. The stated reason was solidarity during the pandemic.
- Host slogans:
| Games | Edition | Slogan |
|---|---|---|
| Rio 2016 | 31st | A New World |
| Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) | 32nd | United by Emotion |
| Paris 2024 | 33rd | Games Wide Open |
Tokyo 2020 at a glance
- Postponed by a year because of COVID-19. Held from 23 July to 8 August 2021, but kept the 'Tokyo 2020' name.
- 33 sports and 339 events, the biggest programme up to that time.
- First Games where the host could propose extra sports, a power the IOC gave hosts under Olympic Agenda 2020 (2014). Tokyo proposed five:
| Sport | Status in Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Karate | Debut (kata and kumite) |
| Skateboarding | Debut (park and street) |
| Sport climbing | Debut (speed, bouldering and lead combined) |
| Surfing | Debut (Tsurigasaki Beach) |
| Baseball/Softball | Returned after Beijing 2008 |
- India's result: 7 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze), its best haul at any Olympics until then. Neeraj Chopra won javelin gold, India's first Olympic medal in athletics.
In the news
The Tokyo Olympics, postponed from 2020, were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021, about two months before the 10 October 2021 Prelims. India won a record seven medals, and the IOC changed the Olympic motto during the Games. Both made the event a big current-affairs topic that year.