The number of oath-takers has been doubled from 3 to 6 for the Tokyo Games

The opening sentence of the Oath has been changed to include the terms “inclusion” and “equality.”

The number of oath-takers at the Olympic opening ceremony has been increased from three to six for the Tokyo Games, according to the IOC to ensure gender parity. The oath has also been slightly reworked to include “inclusion and equality.” The Olympic oath is taken on behalf of all competitors by one athlete from the host country, and the ceremony also involves one coach and a judge.

This year, Japan will select two athletes from each category — one male and one female — for the event, which has been a feature of the Olympics since 1920. On July 23, the showcase will begin.

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“The gender balance of the oath-takers is just one of a large number of decisions and commitments from the IOC and the Organising Committee to promote women in sport at all levels and in all structures, as stated in the Olympic Charter,” the IOC said.

The opening sentence of the Oath has been changed to include the terms “inclusion” and “equality.”

Depending on the group that is speaking, the new oath reads: “In the name of the athletes”, “In the name of all judges” or “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 IOC Athletes’ Commission made a set of proposals that resulted in the modified wording of the Olympic oath. In April 2021, the IOC Executive Board approved these recommendations. The Olympic oath was firstly recited at the 1920 Games’ Opening Ceremony. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the modern Olympic Games’ founder, wrote the original text.

All participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been given the opportunity to have one female and one male athlete carry their flag during the Opening Ceremony, thanks to a resolution made by the IOC Executive Board.

India’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony will be boxer MC Mary Kom and men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh. The flag-bearer for the closing ceremony on August 8 will be wrestler Bajrang Punia.