“The Man behind the universal mastermind”

 

Greetings my dearest wanderers, 
Since the Olympics is around the corner, lets get to know more about who was the brainchild behind this magnificent Olympic Games. 
Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a prominent French educator and historian. He co-founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and served as its second president, earning recognition as the father of the modern Olympic Games. Coubertin was instrumental in advocating for the incorporation of sports into French educational institutions.

Born into a French aristocratic family, Coubertin pursued a diverse academic career, focusing primarily on education and history. He graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) with a degree in law and public affairs. It was during his time at Sciences Po that he conceived the idea of reviving the Olympic Games.

The Pierre de Coubertin medal, also known as the Coubertin medal or the True Spirit of Sportsmanship medal, is awarded by the International Olympic Committee to athletes who exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship during the Olympic Games.

Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, significantly influenced Pierre de Coubertin's educational philosophy. However, William Penny Brookes also shaped Coubertin's ideas about athletic competition. Brookes, a physician, believed in physical exercise as a means to prevent illness. In 1850, he initiated local athletic competitions known as the "Meetings of the Olympian Class" at Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Together with the Liverpool Athletic Club, Brookes founded the National Olympian Association to promote local competitions across Britain. Despite these efforts, the British sporting establishment largely ignored him.

Brookes corresponded with Greek government and sporting advocates, aiming to revive the Olympic Games internationally. In Greece, philanthropists Evangelos and Konstantinos Zappas funded Olympics and restored the Panathinaiko Stadium, which hosted the 1896 Summer Olympics. Brookes organized the first national Olympic Games in London at Crystal Palace in 1866, marking the first Olympics outside Greece. Although Brookes and others had conceived national Olympic contests, it was Coubertin who established the International Olympic Committee and organized the first modern Olympic Games.

In 1888, Coubertin founded the Comité pour la Propagation des Exercises Physiques, also known as the Comité Jules Simon. His idea for reviving the Olympics as an international competition came to him in 1889, apparently independently of Brookes. Coubertin spent the next five years organizing an international meeting of athletes and sports enthusiasts. In 1890, Brookes wrote to Coubertin, and the two began exchanging letters on education and sport. Brookes, too old to attend the 1894 Congress, supported Coubertin’s efforts by leveraging his Greek government connections. Despite recognizing Brookes’ contribution in Britain, Coubertin later downplayed his role in the Olympic revival.

Coubertin, along with A. Mercatis, encouraged the Greek government to use part of Konstantinos Zappas' legacy to fund the 1896 Athens Olympic Games. Philanthropist George Averoff funded the second refurbishment of the Panathinaiko Stadium. Coubertin’s Olympic advocacy centered on several ideals: promoting amateur competition, the sacred truce, and fostering international understanding to reduce the dangers of war. He valued the competition itself over winning, famously stating, "The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle."

In 1889, Coubertin founded the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA) to coordinate French athletics. By 1892, the association had grown significantly. At the USFSA’s annual meeting that year, Coubertin publicly proposed reviving the Olympics, receiving general applause but little commitment. Facing numerous challenges, he promoted his conference as a discussion on amateurism in sport, leading to accusations of deception.

The congress was held on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris, dividing into commissions on amateurism and reviving the Olympics. Greek participant Demetrios Vikelas headed the Olympic commission and became the first IOC President. The commission proposed holding the Games every four years, with modern sports. Despite Coubertin's initial concerns about Greece hosting the first Games, Vikelas convinced him otherwise.

The congress led to the formal establishment of the IOC, with Vikelas as president. Coubertin focused on organizing the 1896 Athens Games, though he faced frustrations with Greek authorities and German-French tensions. The Greeks, wanting to host the Games every four years, conflicted with Coubertin’s vision, but a compromise was reached for interim pan-Hellenic games. Despite challenges, Coubertin succeeded in establishing the modern Olympic movement, although early Games in 1900 and 1904 struggled for attention amid concurrent World’s Fairs.