The Olympic Movement

It was Coubertin's vision and philosophy that defined the Olympic Movement; and it was his commitment and charisma that saw that vision become a reality at the first revived Games in 1896 in Athens.

Nineteenth-Century Athleticism
During the course of the 19th century, many countries had begun to recognize the importance of physical education and exercise. The athletic movement gained mo­ment­um in England, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and America. As inventions such as railways and the telegraph made the world a smaller place, interest in inter­national athletic competitions increased. Social conditions were ideal for a revival of the Olympic games, described by Coubertin as "the logical culmination of a great movement."

Above: Fallen columns at Olympia's temple of Zeus in their present state.

The Discovery of Olympia
In the mid-1800s, interest in ancient Greece was on the rise as well. In 1829, a team of French archa­eo­logists investigated the site of ancient Olympia, which had been discovered 1766 by an English antiquarian. From 1875 to 1881, the German government conducted full-scale excavations of ancient Olympia. The German team published regular reports of their findings, which fueled the growing interest in Olympia and the ancient Games.

As archaeologists began to uncover the ruins of the ancient stadium at Olympia, numerous athletic events sprung up bearing the Olympic name. The scope of these games was limited, and they were conducted under less-than-favorable conditions.

The Zappas Olympic Games
Following the liberation of Greece from the Turks and the founding of the modern Greek state in 1821, the idea of reviving the ancient Games was first considered in Greece. The suggestion was pursued by a Greek businessman named Evangelios Zappas. With the support of the Greek government, Zappas staged an Olympic competition on November 15, 1859. Events included foot races, discus, javelin, wrestling, and climbing. Winners received cash, medals, and olive branches as prizes. The 1859 competition and the three that followed (in 1870, 1875, and 1889), staged by the Greek gov­ern­ment with money left by Zappas in his will, were not successful.

Father of the Modern Olympics
The force behind the international Olympic Movement that spawned the revived Games was a french educator named Pierre de Coubertin. Coubertin's passion to reform the education system of France had led to his interest in reviving the Olympic games. Here was a man with the focus and drive to make this seemingly impossible dream a reality! Inspired by reports from the excavations at ancient Olympia, Coubertin planned his strategy to rally international support for this "Herculean task."

The Paris Congress at Sorbonne
In 1894, Coubertin organized an international congress of sportsmen and physical education enthusiasts. The "International Congress on Amateurism" was attended by 79 delegates representing 49 organizations from nine countries (France, England, the United States, Greece, Russia, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, and Spain). In addition, Hungary, Germany, Bohemia, Holland, and Australia sent proxies or letters.

The Congress, which was held Paris in June of 1894, was ostensibly convened to examine the question of amateurism. The final question on the agenda, however, was "Regarding the possibility of the revival of the Olympic Games." To promote the idea of the Olympics, Coubertin hosted a splendid banquet that was lit by a thousand torches and marked by horse races, mock battles, and fireworks. The banquet opened with the Hymn to Apollo, allegedly based on ancient music notation recently discovered by French archaeologists at Delphi.

In spite of all his efforts, no one had any real interest in the revival of the Games, with the exception of Dimitrios Vikelas of Greece and Professor William M. Sloane of the United States, from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). Never­the­less, as Coubertin later wrote, "a unanimous vote in favor of revival was rendered at the end of the Congress, chiefly to please me." By the end of the Paris Congress, Coubertin had formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans were in place to stage the first modern Olympic games in Athens, Greece in 1896.

Above: Dimitris Vikelas, first chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Dimitris Vikelas
Although Dimitrios Vikelas was originally from Athens, he was living in France at the time of the Paris Congress in Sorbonne. Vikelas was an author, writer, and well known in Paris society. The Panhellenic Gymnastic Club, through its inspired President and "father of gymnastics" in Greece, Mr. Ioannis Fokianos, asked Mr. Vikelas to represent them to the International Athletic Conference at Sorbonne in 1894. When Pierre de Coubertin pitched his idea for reviving the Olympic games, he was one of Coubertin's few ardent supporters at the convention.

Subsequently, Vikelas proposed to the General Assembly of all the Athletic Associations that the city of Athens should organize the first Olympic games. The delegates unanimously accepted. Dimitris Vikelas was appointed the first chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with Pierre de Coubertin as the Secretary General. His term was short-lived, however, as Coubertin took the helm two years later at the Athens Games in 1896.

Above: The first IOC committee

The First IOC Committee
Now that the dream of reviving the Olympic games was officially approved, the work began. A great deal of indifference, if not opposition, had to be overcome, including an initial refusal by Athens to stage the Games at all. But Coubertin and his newly elected International Olympic Committee won through. Pictured at right, from right to left: Colonel Victor Balk (Sweden), Dr. Willibald Gebhardt (Germany), General Alexander de Boutowski (Russia), Pierre de Coubertin (France), Franz Kemeny (Hungary), Dimitrios Vikelas (Greece) first President, Jiri Guth (Boheme), and two members of the Hellenic Committee

Above: The first IOC committee and the Greek royals

The First Modern Olympic Games
The neglected Panathenaic stadium on the outskirts of Athens became the site of a new marble stadium financed by a wealthy Alexandrian merchant. In the first week of April 1896, the Athens Olympics were officially opened by the king of Greece. Pictured at right is the first Inter­national Olympic Committee (standing), with Crown Prince Constantine, president of the Organizing Committee for the First International Olympic Games, and Princes Nicholas and George (seated).

Relatively few countries participated in the 1896 Games, and relatively few spectators came from abroad. Only 15 countries participated and many of the top athletes in the world did not compete, as the Games were not well advertised. Coubertin had difficulty getting interest in the Olympics among many of the nations of the world. In addition, the facilities were poor, and only the English and the Americans recognized the need for substantial training and preparation, though fittingly the hero on the Athens Olympics was a Greek, Spiros Louis, who was victorious in the The neglected marathon.

The Movement Slowly Gains Momentum
The success of Athens 1896 was followed by embarrassments in Paris and St. Louis, Missouri, where the Olympics were swallowed by world's fairs and control was all but lost by the young IOC and its president Coubertin. Stockholm 1912 put the Games back on track, and during the World War I era Coubertin reconsolidated the Olympic Movement by moving its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland, and by articulating its ideology of "neo-Olympism," the pursuit of peace and intercultural communication through international sport.

The Olympic Flame Burns Brightly On
After the highly successful 1924 Olympics in Paris, Coubertin retired from the IOC presidency. The Olympics were firmly established, and could now survive without his continued help. It was Coubertin's vision that had originated the Olympic Movement, but it was the international community that eventually took up the cause, and which now carries the ideals and principles of the Olympics into the 21st century.

About OL | Ancient Games | Athens 1896 | Olympic Trivia | Links

Sponsored by AvantiLogic.net, Produced by Photoenhancements.com
Copyright © 2003 by Photoenhancements.com