The Olympic currency is made up of the three Latin words Citius, Altius, Fortius which mean more quickly, higher, more extremely . This maxim was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin with the creation of the International Olympic committee in 1894 with the Sorbonne.

The paternity of the expression returns to Henri Didon, priest Dominicain, which in 1891, headmaster of the Albert college the Large one of Arcueil, exhorting its pupils to cultivate their youth in practice sporting " in an eloquent short speech wished that this flag often lead them “to the victory, with the fight always”. He said that he gave them for currency these three words which are the base and the raison d'être of the athletic sports: “citius, altius, fortius, more quickly, higher, more extremely”. "
Pierre de Coubertin had made the meeting of Didon at the time of the joint organization of sporting plays between teenagers of the public school and religious school and it is at the time of this event that the speech was marked. The two men became very friendly, the Dominican father becoming to advise of Coubertin. It was besides present in Athens with the Olympic Games of 1896 to the head of a delegation of its pupils where it celebrated the first Olympic mass of the History in front of 4.000 people.

These three words, Citius, Altius, Fortius are an invitation to give best oneself and to living this going beyond like a victory. To walk on towards its limits and to tend towards excellence do not want to necessarily say to be the first and it is necessary to bring closer the Olympic currency to this other sentence “ essence is not to gain but take part ”, principle taken again on its account by the baron Pierre de Coubertin following the sermon of Ethelbert Talbot, bishop of Pennsylvania, at the time of the Olympic mass of the plays of London in 1908.