There was little interest in sporting activities throughout the middle ages, however by the 19th century more and more people were participating in recreational activities and significant amounts of research were conducted into the role of sport in society. At about the same time there was also a resurgence of interest in Ancient Greece leading to the discovery of the Ancient Games. In 1850 a Britain by the name of Dr William Penny Brookes founded the Much Wenlock Olympic Society, a move which would set in motion the revival of the Games.
In the 1880s a French historian Pierre de Coubertin who had an interest in the role of sport in society and Ancient Greece met with Brookes of the Much Wenlock Olympic Society and formed the idea of a modern revival to the ancient Olympic games. The idea was publicly launched in 1892 and by 1894 the International Olympic Committee was formed with the idea of staging the games every four years. Pierre de Coubertin had planned to hold the first games in Paris at the beginning of the new century, however his fellow committee members wanted the games held as soon as possible. London or Budapest in Hungary had been mentioned as possible hosts, but under the instigation of IOC President Demetrius Vikelas of Greece the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens four years before the beginning of the 20th century.
Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, was born
in Paris in 1863. His family originated in Normandy where he spent
many of his summers in the family Château de Mirville, near Le Havre.
He refused the military career planned for him by his family, as well
as renouncing a promising political career. By the age of 24 he had
already decided the aim of his life: he would help bring back the noble
spirit of France by reforming its old-fashioned and unimaginative education
system.Coubertin, whose father was an artist and mother a musician, was
raised in cultivated and aristocratic surroundings. He had always been
deeply interested in questions of education. For him, education was the
key to the future of society, and he sought the means to make France rise
once more after its defeat in the war in 1870.
The Olympic flag has a plain white background with
no border. In the centre are five rings forming two rows of three rings
above and two below. The rings of the upper row are, from left to right,
blue, black and red. The rings of the lower row are yellow and green. The
rings are thought to symbolise the five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa,
Australia and America. It is widely believed that the colours of the rings
were chosen because at least one of them can be found in the flag of every
nation, though this has never been confirmed as the intention of the designer.
The flag was presented by Games founder Baron de
Coubertin at the 1914 Olympic Congress, celebrating the 20th anniversary
of the founding of the IOC. It was first flown in Alexandria, Greece, but
made its Olympic debut at the 1920 Antwerp Games. This well-worn flag was
finally retired after the 1984 Games, and a new one flown at the 1988 Seoul
Games.
At the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the mayor of the current
Olympic host city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host city.
The flag is then kept in the town hall of the host city until the next
Olympic Games.
The Olympic flame is a symbol carried over from the
ancient Olympics, where a sacred flame burned at the altar of Zeus throughout
competition. It was finally reintroduced at the 1924 Amsterdam Games, and
again burned in 1932.
Carl Diem, chairman of the organising committee
for the 1936 Berlin Games, proposed that the flame be lit in Greece and
transported to Berlin via a torch relay. The idea was adopted, and continued
at every Olympic Games since 1952.
The flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by the natural rays
of the sun reflected off a curved mirror. It is lit at a ceremony by women
dressed in robes resembling those worn in ancient times, who then pass
it to the first relay runner.
"Citius, altius, fortius" is a Latin phrase meaning "swifter, higher, stronger", which Baron de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon of Paris.Dideon was headmaster of Arcueil College, and used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements of students at the school. He had previously been at the Albert Le Grand school, where the Latin words were carved in stone above the main entrance.
"In the name of all competitors, I promise that we
shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules
that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of
sport and the honour of our teams."
Written by Baron de Coubertin, the oath is taken by an athlete from
the host nation while holding a corner of the Olympic flag. The athletes'
oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp
Games. A judge from the host country also speaks the oath, with slightly
different wording.
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is
not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is
not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered,
but to have fought well."
There have been many permutations of this basic message throughout
Games history, though this is the current creed which appears on the scoreboard
during the Opening Ceremony. Baron de Cobertin adopted, and later quoted,
this creed after hearing the Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, Ethelbert
Talbot, speak at a service for Olympic athletes during the 1908 London
Games.
In London for the Fifth Conference of Anglican Bishops,
Talbot's exact words at the service on July 19, 1908 were: "The important
thing in these Olympics is not so much winning as taking part."
First staged in 1896, the modern Olympic Games attracted about 245 athletes (all men) in 43 events. At the Sydney 2000 Games, more than 10,000 athletes will take part in 300 events. The Olympic Movement has survived wars, boycotts and terrorism to become a symbol of the ability of the people of all nations to come together in peace and friendship.
The
first Olympic torch relay was organized during the Games of the XI Olympiad
in Berlin in 1936. On
this occasion the flame was carried over land between Olympia and Berlin,
in a relay involving close to 3,000 runners.The tradition of the Olympic
torch relay is still with us. To remind us of the important role of fire
in both human and Olympic history, a flame burns constantly on the esplanade
of the Olympic Museum.
Since Athens in 1896, there have been 22 olympics
games held respectively in Paris, Saint-Louis, London, Stockholm, Antwerp,
Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome,
Tokyo,Mexico City, Munich, Montreal, Moscow, Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona
and Atlanta. For the new millenium game, the olympic games are being held
in Australia at Sydney.
Sydney was the first host city ever to include a
comprehensive commitment to the environment as part of its Bid to host
an Olympic Games.This degree of attention to the environment led Juan Antonio
Samaranch, President of the IOC, to state that Sydney won its bid "partly
because of the consideration given to environmental matters.
People throughout the world are becoming increasingly
concerned about the environment. Issues such as pollution, climate change
and loss of biodiversity are leading to action at all levels of society
— individuals are trying to reduce their waste, governments are tightening
anti-pollution laws and signing international environmentaltreaties and
industries are developing more environmentally-friendly technologies and
strategies. The sporting community too has become aware of the important
link between sport and the environment.
The Sydney
2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games will leave excellent environmental legacies
for the Olympic Movement, for Sydney and for all of Australia.
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