Who Is Baron Pierre De Coubertin Essay

Cindy Le

Toby Rider

KNES 481

22 September 2017

Topic 1: Baron Pierre de Coubertin asserted that the modern Olympic games were a festival of peace and should be free of politics and government interference. He claimed this tradition dated back to the ancient world. Using examples and evidence, argue whether you agree or disagree with Coubertin’s position. Baron Pierre de Coubertin asserted that the modern Olympic games were a festival of peace and should be free of politics and government interference and he claimed this tradition dated back to the ancient world. Coubertin is a French nobleman who was a very keen sportsman. As he grew older he developed a belief that sport and athletics could encourage peace throughout the world and bring

According to Nigel Crowther (1999), Coubertin believed that the “Olympic games should promote ‘international understanding, brotherhood and peace.’” (p. 585). Coubertin’s idea may have came from the fact that “ the ancient Olympic games certainly promoted in Greece a sense of unity among the independent city states… and were the suggest single gathering of any kind in the Greek World” (p. 585). I do not agree with Coubertin that the modern Olympic games were a festival of peace and that the tradition was dated back to the ancient world. They were political rivalries between people from different parts of the Greek world. Politics were present at the ancient Olympics in many forms. The role of athletics and sports were just a mere form of training or military training for warfare for some city-states. As for Coubertin’s promotion of “international understanding” did not exist in ancient Olympic games in Greece. The Olympic truce was a mere misconception for promoting

David Young (2005) writes “Coubertin wrote that he was the first to promote this idea, situating himself as its instigator” (p. 5). Panagiotis Soutsos published poems proposing a revival of the ancient Games as a means of sparking national spirit. His poems were proof that the modern Olympics games took place before Coubertin’s birth. Evangelis Zappas was a veteran if the Geek War Independence. He explored to Romania and became one of the richest mean in Eastern Europe due to his business ventures. Young (2005) claims that after Zappas learned about “Soustos’ Olympic idea he, too implored the Greek government in 1856 to revive the Olympics in Athens, and even offered to fund the entire project himself” (p. 7). Tagging along with Zappas, William Penny Brookes saw the initiatives of Zappas and the merging plans of the Olympic games in Athens; he decided to seek revival of the Olympic games as well. Young said that “Brookes meticulous records of all of his activities in the years to follow document this series of events revealing how the modern Olympic movement emerged, drawing distinct historical connections from Soustos' first poetic idea conceived in the nineteenth century to the grandiose festivities held in Athens in 2004” (p. 8). Demetrios Vikelas had no experience with history but through his connections he was at the