| Pierre de Coubertain, " the Baron " ( b. in Melville, FRANCE 01 / 01 / 1863, d. Ginevre, SWITZERLAND 02/09/1937 ), is world wide known as the " Creator of the modern Olympic Games ", and for all the emotions that this great event gives me every 4 years, I'll always remember him.
In 393 the Roman Imperor Theodosius ( under pressures of St.Auguostine), put an end to the Games, considered an utterly "non Christian" event.
Many many years later, as a young aristocrat, De Coubertain practised many sports, including rowing, equestrians, running and gymnastic; at 17 he moves to Great Britain to learn English, and also to study history and philosophy.
We are in front of one of the most emotionally involved sport-lovers of all times, as his life objective was to resume the Olympic Games, and for this he invested all his life and money. From his British experience he realized how a way of life that was so culturally and emotionally involved in physical activities was one the most useful and intelligent systems to bring up youngs that a nation can offer. Having decided that at least one of the reasons for the glory of ancient Greece was the emphasis placed on physical culture and frequent athletic festivals, he concluded that nothing but good could results if the athletes of all countries of the world were brought together every 4 years on the simple field of amateur sport, unmindful of national rivalries, jealousies and difference of all kind, and therefore witout differences of politics, race, religion, wealth and social status.
Pierre de Coubertain, fascinated by old Games legends and by all the mith emerging from them, in an international meeting at Sorbonne University ( 1892 ), managed to found an international Committee for the resuming of Olympic Games.
He said : " Someone sees in phisical education a way to defence the nation, others a way to get a wonderful shape and no illness, others finally the nice and healthy happiness of our blood, who is best known as the joy of life .... sport will become an important part of our life, balancing it and helping phisically and mentally our minds, a basic component of a good education for the moral effort that a man can produce ...... an Olympian conqueres a dignity given by his sacifices and exercises, if he arrives there, his personality will be a model for all us ...."
Many said that he was crazy, but ..... 4 years later in Athens (1896) starts the first Olympic Games of the modern era .... |
France