The Complex Legacy of Pierre de Coubertin: Father of the Modern Olympic Games
Even though the Olympics are an ancient Greek tradition, the modern Summer Games are deeply tied to Paris and one man in particular: Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The 2024 Paris Olympics marks a significant milestone in the history of the Summer Games and its historic ties to the city of light. It will mark the centurion 1924-2024 since the city last hosted the Olympics with one of its most fierce advocates, and Parisian Baron Pierre de Coubertin at the helm of the Olympic Committee. A man of his time, de Coubertin is often referred to as the father of the modern summer games.
Born in Paris, Baron Pierre de Coubertin is a key figure in the revival of the modern Olympic Games. The French educator and historian championed the idea of resurrecting the ancient Greek tradition of athletic competition. De Coubertin was instrumental in shaping the Olympics into a global event as he believed that the Olympics could promote peace and understanding among nations through sports. Serving as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1896 to 1925, he played a pivotal role in establishing the modern Olympics, overseeing the adoption of the Olympic flag and the tradition of passing the Olympic flame to a different host city every four years, echoing ancient customs.
Within this pioneering vision de Coubertin was able to make the Paris 1924 an Olympic of many firsts:
The beginning of the closing ceremony ritual involves the iconic Olympic tradition of raising the flags of the International Olympic Committee, the host nation, and the next host nation.
The first radio broadcasted games, marking the first live coverage of an international, multi-sporting event.
The first Olympics with exclusive rights for photography and film.
For the first time, all the athletes stayed at an Olympic Village.
While he believed in the importance of sport for all, famously stating
“Is there any need to recall that the Games are not the property of any country or of any particular race, and that they cannot be monopolized by any group whatsoever? They are global. All people must be allowed in, without debate.”
De Coubertin's legacy is not without contradictions, particularly regarding his views on women's participation in the Olympics. He opposed female athletes' involvement in the Games.
Coubertin justified his wish to exclude women from elite track and field events by claiming it was to protect their dignity. He feared that spectators' motives for watching women compete could be more lecherous than athletic. His solution was to have no spectators if women participated in sports like football or boxing. Despite his adversarial position, he did not directly obstruct women's participation, leaving the decision to the organizing committees of each host city.
Interestingly, during his IOC presidency, the number of women participating in the Olympics grew significantly, from 22 athletes in 1900 to 135 in 1924. Women competed in various sports, including golf, archery, equestrian events, tennis, diving, sailing, fencing, swimming, and figure skating. Coubertin also embraced the inclusion of female artists, writers, and musicians in the Olympic Arts Competitions, which began in 1912 and saw increasing female participation over the years.
Beyond sports, he supported women's education and independence, aligned himself with advocates for women's education, and recognized the importance of enabling women to resist marital tyranny and earn a living if unmarried.
The baron's impact on the Olympics further Coubertin is the reason for many Olympic symbols and virtues as we now know them. He designed the Olympic Rings, writing that the “five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to Olympism”, and the five colors of the rings plus the white background of the flag “combined to produce the colors of every country.”
His saying, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part, just as in life, what counts is not the victory but the struggle,” became the IOC creed for the Olympics.
De Coubertin's vision for the Olympics as a global event promoting peace and understanding remains pivotal as the games are now watched by a billion people with athletes representing all nations, even those with refugee status. In many ways, the games are true to his final warning.
The Olympics are not the property of any country or particular race, and any group cannot monopolize them. They are global. All people must be allowed in, without debate, just as all sports must be treated on equal footing, without concern for the fluctuations or caprices of public opinion.
Sources:
https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-1924-and-pierre-de-coubertin-s-enduring-love-for-france