The International Olympic Committee has amended its ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ motto to include the word ‘Together’, its President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday, highlighting the need for solidarity during difficult times such as the pandemic. “We have to adapt the motto to our times,” he told a session meeting following the approval of an Olympic Charter amendment. The motto now reads: ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together’.

Gurpreet left out

Race walker Gurpreet Singh, who got surprise qualification on the basis of world rankings, will miss the Games beginning on Friday as his name was not in the list submitted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), leaving him unaccredited. It is learnt that AFI’s last-minute effort to get accreditation for the 50km race walker did not work out.

Heat relief

Mist-spraying stations for Olympic horses and cooling vests for referees are among the tools organisers are rolling out for the Games, where participants will face scorching heat and intense humidity. “For volunteers, we have salt candies, tablets and ice cream,” Tokyo Games Delivery Officer Hidemasa Nakamura said.

Fouaad decision

Indian equestrian Fouaad Mirza has opted for Seigneur Medicott, who helped him win two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games, as his equine partner. Earlier, Mirza had announced he would take Dajara 4 to the Games.

Phelps role

Michael Phelps will be part of NBC’s Olympics coverage as a correspondent and swimming commentator, the network announced. Phelps has won the most gold medals (23) in Olympic history.