First Olympic Games glossary in Māori and English launched for Paris 2024

The Olympic Games glossary was crafted by Sky, the NZ Olympic Committee and the Māori Language Commission. Photo / AFP

By Morning Report for RNZ

A new Olympic glossary featuring new Māori words has been created to encourage te reo use during this year’s games.

Te Reo Māori ki Parī 2024 is the first Olympic Games glossary in Māori and English.

The resource was crafted by Sky, the New Zealand Olympic Committee and the Māori Language Commission.

It contains more than 1000 terms and phrases across 30 Olympic Games sporting codes.

New Zealand Olympic Committee Māori culture lead Oriini Kaipara

New Zealand Olympic Committee Māori culture lead Oriini Kaipara told Morning Report she was stoked with the glossary.

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The terms were initially crafted for sports commentators covering the event to increase use of te reo, Kaipara said.

“Then we thought, you know, there’s a large proportion of the general population here in New Zealand and abroad that actually don’t know the Māori language, whether it’s about sport or not.”

They designed the glossary with all types of speakers in mind, from beginners to advanced users.

Some examples of the phrases and words are:

Kaikauhoe - Swimmer

Pahū ana te rere - A powerful explosion out of the blocks

Topatopa ana - Look at them fly