Update the Olympic logo in "Tokyo 2020"... and the Emperor attends the opening

Today, the Olympic slogan was updated from "Faster, Higher, Stronger" to "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together", to reflect the spirit of solidarity around the world in the face of the "Covid-19" pandemic that postponed the Tokyo Olympics from last summer.

The International Olympic Committee approved the change in its pre-opening session on Friday, a year later than originally scheduled.

The games are held amid local fears of the deteriorating health situation and the high number of HIV infections, at a time when Tokyo is subject to a health emergency, which necessitated the holding of the Olympics behind closed doors in the competitions scheduled in the capital, which means that the vast majority of them will be held without an audience.

"Everywhere we see a collaborative effort that brings faster and better solutions than working alone," IOC President Thomas Bach said after the proposal to update the Olympic emblem won unanimous support.

"Faster, Higher, Stronger," or "Setius, Altius, Fortius" in Latin, has been the Olympic motto since 1894 when it was adopted to coincide with the founding of the International Olympic Committee, at the suggestion of its French founder, Pierre de Coubertin.

The Latin version of the new slogan became "Cetius, Altius, Fortius - Comonitor".

On the other hand, Emperor Naruhito of Japan will be among the attendees Friday at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

However, an official in the Imperial Palace Care Agency told AFP that Empress Masako will not participate in the ceremony, which will be held on Friday at the National Stadium in the absence of the general public, but with the participation of nearly 1,000 local, Olympic and international officials and representatives of the sponsoring companies, according to local media.

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