Page 26 - Olympism in Socialism

of internationalism with the aim to establish an
event of spiritual proportions, use sports to
improve international relations and promote the
moral and physical transcendence of young men.
The timeless character of Olympism is
highlighted in the argument by de Coubertin
(1918), where he states that “Olympism is neither
a system; it is a state of mind. The most diverse
educational forms may be penetrated by it, and no
one race or epoch can claim an exclusive monopoly
of it.” On one hand this statement shows the
vagueness of Olympism, which is often criticized
due to a lack of an explicit definition. On the other
hand, it addresses the idea that Olympism is
supposed to be an educational tool, “universal”
and not subject to racist ideologies and
commercial interests.
Even though the Olympic movement still
refers to Olympism as a philosophy, Olympism is
filled with ambiguous implications and thus
cannot be classified as explicit philosophy but as
a complex and constantly redefined meta-
narrative (IOC Olympic Charter, 2019). Yet, to
this day the values of de Coubertin’s Olympism
are referred to by the Olympic movement for
education purposes.
The IOC Fundamentals of Olympic Values
Education (2016) refers to the three core values
of Olympism in a familiar, flowery fashion as:
Excellence, in the sense of striving for the best
possible result, highlighting that taking part is
more important than winning.
Respect, with the goal to preserve human
dignity. “Respect for yourself and your body,
for other people, for rules and regulations,
for sport and for the environment” (IOC
Fundamentals of Olympic Values Education,
2016, p.16). And finally, friendship which is at
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