Who Proposed that the Olympic Games be Revived in 1894?

The ancient Greeks held Olympic games every four years from 776 BC until 392 AD when they ended, so who proposed that the Olympic Games be revived in 1894? One man, Baron Pierre de Coubertin is credited with helping to restablish the Olymic games at the end of the 19th Century.

The Olympic Games were originally held to honor the Greek god Zeus. Athletes of the time trained and tested themselves in Olympia, a religious sanctuary. The Greeks aptly chose this particular setting because they believed in the mind/body connection. People could not have strong minds without having strong bodies; the body was a temple that fed the mind as well. Famous intellects of the time studied and exercised there, such as Socrates and Plato.

Other cities near the temple of Zeus also vied for his honor: Sparta, Elis, Athens and Syracuse. Each would supply athletes that trained in Elis before being allowed to train in Olympia. Originally, the athletes only competed in a foot race. They would train all day, every day for this one race. Later, other games entered the festival including gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, The games eventually united many of the towns and cities by the temple, even during times of war. Ekecheiria was a word used to describe a temporary peace between warring city-states during the Olympics festival.

Olympic winners were hailed as heros for the rest of their lives. They often received many rewards and had statues erected in their honor. Unfortunately, women were not allowed into the games as participants or spectators. The Roman victory over Greece brought the beginning of the end for the Olympic games. Eventually, they were phased out entirely.

While Olympia remained an important place for over a thousand years, but once the games were cancelled by Theodosius, the Roman Emperor, and all of the important statues removed, followers abandoned the temples. Olympia eventually disappeared, becoming completely covered over time due to earthquakes and flooding in the area. It remained buried and forgotten from about 400 AD until a German archeologist uncovered the site again in 1875.

Who Proposed that the Olympic Games be Revived in 1894

Fifteen centuries after the original games, historians credit Baron Pierre de Coubertin with single handedly restoring interest in the Olympic games. As an educator in France, he sought to understand the best ways for students to learn. He traveled to other countries and found out that their education systems included physical activity along with learning, which was something that France did not currently include.

Around the time that de Coubertin searched for answers to his educational problem, German archeologists had found and were in the process of excavating Olympia. People from around the world, including de Coubertin, visited the important historical site. He became fascinated with the idea amateur competition for athletes since amateur athletes had few outlets to perform as more sports designated lower level competitions as professional venues.

De Coubertin worked hard to get people to see and understand his vision of restoring the games. He published books and gave talks to try to convince others in the worthiness of amateur competition. In 1888, de Coubertin help to found the Athletics Sports Union. This organization was dedicated to include or improve physical education in the French school system. The French government began to pay more attention to his ideas and eventually asked him to study physical education around the world and report back. This study led him to propose worldwide amateur sports competitions in 1892.

The idea did not propel people to join him immediately. De Coubertin hosted some smaller gatherings of amateur athletes the next year. In 1894, during a worldwide commission to study amateur sports attended by nine different countries, de Coubertin convinced the delegates that an Olympic revival would be in all of their best interests. The delegates responded with similar enthusiasm and decided to host the revived Olympic games in 1896.

The Tradition Continues

Who proposed that the Olympic Games be revived in 1894? Pierre de Coubertin worked for many years to bring the games into existence and then spent the remainder of his life working to ensure the games prospered. The Olympic Games continue to be held to this day; although, they are now held every two years, alternating winter and summer sports, rather than every four years with both competitions.