The European 19th century is the history of the rise of the bourgeois middle class. At its end, in 1896, there is a curiosity that emphatically underlines the emancipation of the bourgeois meritocracy from old aristocratic forces: the rebirth of the Olympic Games.

Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and historian, stands as the architect of the modern Olympic Games, which he revived in 1896 after nearly 1500 years of dormancy. His vision was not just to reinstate an ancient tradition but to imbue it with a new set of values tailored for the contemporary world. This essay delves into Coubertin's spiritual interpretations of sports, his pursuit of international peace through athletic competition, the initial disciplines and spectators of the Games, the story behind the Olympic rings, and how these ideals have evolved into the modern sports industry.

The Spiritual Narrative of Sports Coubertin’s ambition transcended physical competition; he envisioned the Olympics as a platform for moral and spiritual edification. Influenced by the excavations of ancient Olympia and the ethos of the Greek games, he saw sports as a means to cultivate character, discipline, and virtue. He believed sports could serve as a "religion of the athlete," where athletes were akin to modern-day priests, their performances acts of physical and spiritual enlightenment. Coubertin often paralleled athletic achievements with religious devotion, suggesting that sports could offer a universal language of peace and respect across nations.

His philosophy was grounded in the concept of "muscular Christianity," which viewed physical fitness as integral to Christian morality. Coubertin aimed to secularize this notion, where the pursuit of sports excellence would reflect moral virtues, coining the term "Olympism." Olympism, for Coubertin, was a holistic philosophy of life, integrating body, will, and mind, promoting a better world through values like fair play, respect, and personal excellence.

The First Modern Olympics: Disciplines and Spectators The inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 featured 9 sports: athletics (which included track and field events), swimming, gymnastics, cycling, fencing, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling. These events were modest by today's standards, with participants from only 14 nations and a total of 241 athletes. However, the Games were a spectacle for the time, attracting between 60,000 to 80,000 spectators, who filled the newly restored Panathenaic Stadium. This gathering was not just about athletic prowess but also symbolized the rebirth of an ancient tradition with new-age values.

The sports were chosen to represent a broad spectrum of physical activities, reflecting Coubertin's belief in the comprehensive development of the human spirit. The disciplines were selected partly for their historical significance in Greek culture and partly for their potential to showcase international athletic talent. The presence of spectators from various backgrounds also highlighted the Games' role in fostering a sense of global community and cultural exchange.

The Origin of the Olympic Rings The Olympic rings, one of the most recognized symbols in the world, were designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1912, and officially introduced at the 1913 Olympic Congress in Paris and first used at the 1920 Antwerp Games. The symbol consists of five interlocking rings, colored blue, yellow, black, green, and red, set on a white background. Coubertin explained that these colors were chosen because at least one of these colors appeared on all the national flags at the time, symbolizing the universality of the Olympic movement.

Blue represents Europe Yellow stands for Asia Black symbolizes Africa Green signifies Australia and Oceania Red is for America

The interlaced rings represent the coming together of the five continents in the spirit of friendship, solidarity, and peace, embodying the internationalism of the Games. This emblem was meant to be a visual representation of Coubertin's vision of the Olympics as a unifying force across all nations.

The Pursuit of Peace through Sports Coubertin's vision for the Olympics was deeply tied to his aim for international reconciliation, particularly after the Franco-Prussian War. He believed sports could act as a bridge for peace, encapsulated in the Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" ("Faster, Higher, Stronger"). The Games were meant to be a celebration of human potential, promoting mutual understanding and respect across cultures. This vision led to the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, with the goal of making the Olympics a recurring event for global unity.

The Emergence of the Sports Industry Initially, Coubertin's Olympics were a beacon of idealism, but the trajectory of the Games soon merged with the growing sports industry. The 1896 Olympics were simple in scope, yet each subsequent Olympiad saw an increase in commercialization and professionalism. By the 1932 Los Angeles Games, the Olympics began to capitalize on media rights, sponsorships, and merchandising, diverging from Coubertin's original educational and amateur spirit.

Today, the sports industry, with its vast economic impact, is a direct descendant of this evolution. The advent of television and digital media has transformed the Olympics into a global spectacle, turning athletes into celebrities and sports into a commercial event. This shift has brought challenges to maintaining the purity of Coubertin’s ideals, particularly in balancing commercial interests with the ethos of amateurism and sportsmanship.

Pierre de Coubertin's legacy is a complex interweave of idealism and practicality. His dream of sports as a vehicle for personal and collective betterment has been both celebrated and commercialized. Despite the evolution into a significant industry, the core principles of Olympism—unity, peace, and the harmonious development of the individual—continue to echo in the Olympic Charter. As we look back from ancient Olympia to now, Coubertin's role in shaping this global phenomenon remains profound, challenging us to balance commercial gains with the noble ideals of sportsmanship and human unity.

A thought from Friedrich Nietzsche at the end: he understood the planet Earth as the human planet, the planet of practitioners. This principle of establishing ever higher levels of performance through repetitive practice and climbing to higher levels was later to provide the impetus for his so-called Übermensch, an evolution of wanting to become better that lives within ourselves and pushes us forward.