The original Chinese text of the Olympic Declaration

Coubertin's Speech on Reviving the Olympic Movement

November 25, 1892

Sports activities in the modern world are concentrated in three capitals: Berlin, Stockholm and London. From there, three systems were produced, all of which were based on the popular concept of ancient society and influenced far away from other regions. These ancient concepts were inherited by people consciously or unconsciously in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, which can be summarized in three words: war, health and sports. Next, please allow me to briefly describe their characteristics, introduce their development process in modern times, and finally describe France's participation in this important movement. For this sport, people properly call it: the revival of sports.

The century we live in, which started so tragically, is coming to an end in today's turbulent peace, continuing a century in which intellectual activities are extremely rich but physical exercise is really poor. It may be necessary to find the root causes of those imbalances from this huge contrast, but this is not our task. We just noticed that at the end of the 18th century, strenuous sports and men's competitive activities were no longer carried out everywhere, and people went elsewhere to find recreation and happiness. From this perspective, the situation in Britain is particularly surprising. People no longer enjoyed outdoor activities as fully as they did in Tudor dynasty, and were no longer intoxicated with nature. At that time, Thomas Arnold and other founders of track and field education had not yet appeared. If Napoleon hadn't gone to consolidate Great Britain like the north wind stopped the melting of ice and snow, the national characteristics of the British people would not be so distinct. Their natural rudeness and malaise are likely to be a precursor to decline. In France, tennis courts are deserted, where people exchange vows instead of playing ball. An era is far away: at that time, every Sunday afternoon, Master De Guberville played ball on the beach in Cotentin (Note 4), surrounded by a group of strong young men from surrounding villages; In one rural parish after another, people are keen on traditional gladiatorial and wrestling activities, which are described in the sheepskin manuscript consulted by Mr. Simeon Luche. At that time, priests from Averan (Note 5) flocked to the beach to play hockey happily every year during religious festivals. All this disappeared during the period of supervision. Once upon a time, with nostalgia for ancient Greece, the governor-general hoped to organize some activities in the Ares Square in Paris that would remind people of the ancient Olympic Games, but it lacked one necessary factor: competitors. People will always come to the competition, like children, to the busy big market, scrambling to climb the colorful poles with prizes, in order to win the traditional leg of lamb or sweet soju. However, these activities are not enough to form a sports meeting, and there is a lack of a sports club and a French stadium to organize and support them. The race organized by the governor is actually a flash in the pan, that is, it lasted all morning. In fact, at the same time, at our border, even farther away from the border, at the foot of the pyramid, by the Danube, in Spain, and under the wall of the Moscow Kremlin, French soldiers have experienced brave and tragic war epics for 2 years, showing the world unprecedented and most outstanding strength. In this short period of time, they exhausted the strength accumulated by the whole nation for centuries. The blood spilled by the soldiers is the blood of tennis players and master de Guberville. It is by no means the blood of cowards, nor the blood of dissolutes during the Regency period. It is the blood of France, which has become dirty in the city and still pure in the countryside. Also, gentlemen, you know what our soldiers are like. When they use up their last strength, they will even give birth to new strength! Ah! How much France needs to recuperate after this long and heroic campaign, God! How we understand why people play dominoes instead of exercising tired muscles. This is how France was immersed in victory and fell into a deep sleep. However, beside her, a gloomy, thorough and terrible failure awakened the energy of some people, who worked hard for the goal you know-the German Empire. As a result, military track and field sports came into being in Berlin. In our country, it is often said that the real winners of the battles in 1866 (Note 8) and 187 (Note 9) were primary school teachers. If it is because of this belief that primary schools and public education are developing rapidly everywhere in our country, we are grateful for this belief. However, I think people pay too much attention to the primary school teachers, while some forget his colleagues: physical education teachers. Gentlemen, shortly after the Battle of Jena (Note 1), many fanatics of German gymnastics appeared, and their passion spread their functions. Subsequently, more and more believers followed the precepts of German gymnastics, and pursued vigorous movements in practice. In a word, its essence was military. In Germany until yesterday, it was still everywhere: hierarchy, obedience and accuracy. Pupils must know their position in the queue from an early age, and turn their eyes around a superior, waiting to accept his orders. When they were middle school students, they continued to keep their muscles flexible and their will obedient, so that they could listen to the call at any time. Because this is the purpose of German gymnastics, it is easy to see what qualities and defects such an idea has brought. When they went to college, the greatest pleasure of German youth was fighting with their classmates, and facial knife marks became a sign of pride. The smallest details in life are also highly consistent, and this strict rule seems to bring an inner joy that neither the British nor the French can understand. Until today, as long as you go through a German university and attend a gathering of German college students, you can see that everyone will drink all the wine in the cup at one command. From this, we can understand the influence of fanaticism in advocating discipline on this great nation. In this century, the whole country in Germany is permeated with militarism, and some socialists also bring a bit of militarism into the formation of revolutionary political parties. As I said just now, German gymnastics pursues vigorous movements and pays attention to strength and energy. It is only effective under this condition. However, in order to maintain this energy, gymnasts must always be under the influence of belligerence. The idea of war must always inspire them. Once Germany gets rid of this idea, countless gymnastics groups will change quickly. In fact, in some parts of German territory, real sports have emerged, which is the result of peace at home and abroad in the past 2 years. Young athletes begin to think about working hard to enhance their own physique, and no longer worry about those distant or near goals. If he wants to hurdle, he will make himself as light as possible and jump as high as possible. However, on the battlefield, legs and arms cannot be naked, and it is impossible to wear only a lingerie. At this time, gymnasts seldom care about how to accomplish a track and field feat, but more about how to leap over obstacles with weapons and backpacks. Similarly, when they are no longer encouraged by the future of military service, their overall movements will be slow, their skills will be weak, and they will almost act hastily and lack soul. Similarly, group running is disintegrated, and runners regain their personality. They no longer care about whether the pace is neat and consistent, but who runs faster and reaches the finish line first. From the point of view of physical exercise, German gymnastics is artificial; What it practices has no reason to exist and is extremely unnatural. Only by promising people some great and lofty goal can people be interested and receive these trainings. Gentlemen, this is its success; But tomorrow, this will probably lead to its decline. However, German gymnastics has many followers and established many groups, including in America and Australia, not to mention France, which we will mention next. British people like to take a tennis racket and a Bible with them when they travel around the world. They never leave home. Germans like to bring sauerkraut and gymnastics when they emigrate. As you all know, there are a large number of German immigrants in the United States, and some recent events are enough to attract attention. If I were an American citizen, I would think it would be a danger to the country. However, Germans in the United States strongly admire Germans in Europe. Living and working in the free land of the United States, separated from their ancient motherland by oceans, they constantly sang the shackles they could not bear, proudly chanted the name of the emperor, and dreamed of Germanizing a large part of the New World through language and customs. They lived there, but never wanted to return to the motherland. They also set up many gymnastics groups for children, imitating the practice of the ancient motherland, and set up another set of arrangements in the chaotic system called "fitness education" there. You may tell me that this kind of gymnastics lacks the necessary conditions that I have just pointed out to make it successful: military purpose and battlefield prospect. Gentlemen, please don't think so. You are used to seeing only businessmen, entrepreneurs and businessmen among the 69 million residents, but there is still a thinking America, a scientific America and a military America. Although, materially speaking, the traces of the Civil War have disappeared, the mental trauma is still clearly visible, and the psychological shock caused by this great war has continued to this day. I want to declare that the patriotism of American citizens is one of the strongest and most amazing I know, and I can expect everything. However, the United States Military Academy at West Point has always followed the French military tradition and cultivated a group of elite forces, which are officers of the federal army. Now, each state has its own militia forces, and it would be a big mistake to regard these forces as national self-defense forces with little value. I don't have the time and ability to study its operation in detail, but I can draw your attention to three facts: the number of people who joined the army, the perfect weapons and equipment, and the excellent mobilization ability that has just been demonstrated in Pennsylvania. Of course, the timing of mobilization is not favorable, and there is no preparation in advance. It is not to fight against foreign enemies, but to maintain order in a bloody strike. Within 24 hours, these businessmen and businessmen put down everything in their hands, and by the 25th hour, they had all appeared at the designated place with weapons in their hands. Most of these militia forces were led and organized in the German way. They showed a strange mixture: both British voluntary civic morality and the spirit of strict discipline of German soldiers. Americans are rebuilding their combat navy, and once this task is completed, their boldness will soon turn into a spirit of conquest. I believe that the future Washington government will be a government that fires easily (Note 12). Due to the above reasons, military gymnastics, which weakened and disappeared on the banks of Spree (Note 13), will find its authority and followers again on the banks of Mississippi (Note 14). In a word, there are opportunities, and it is likely to reappear when great ideals need to be realized, when revenge is needed, or when slavery needs to be abolished. In Australia, the number of German immigrants is so small that it can hardly be ignored. But there are also several groups. Although the militarism of these groups is not as common and aggressive as that of the United States, it has not caused public concern. Do you need to mention the riots in some Australian capitals, the incidents in Samoa (Note 15) and New Hebrides (Note 16), the strong desire of public opinion to occupy New Caledonia (Note 17) soon, and the fact that New South Wales (Note 18) sent militia troops to support the British in Sudan? I seem to have given up sports and studied diplomatic issues. In fact, I'm just emphasizing this important social law, that is, the spirit, ambition and customs of a nation directly affect its understanding of sports and the way it organizes, and there are close ties between them.

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gentlemen, this is the actual situation in Germany and Sweden. Turning from German gymnastics to Swedish gymnastics is like listening to an idyllic symphony after listening to a heroic symphony. Sweden is a happy nation with a short history. In the past hundred years, it has devoted itself to developing a skating activity that is beneficial to the whole people's body and mind peacefully, and a unique gymnastics that looks gentle at first glance. People named it Ringer Gymnastics after its inventor. I hasten to say that between Ringo's gymnastics and skating, skating is a sign to identify Swedes; Their good health, this wonderful balance of body and mind, this peaceful state of mind and this even breath bring them vitality. They think we should thank the brilliant skater, and I don't hesitate to attribute it to the rapid skating on the flat ice in the north, to the cold air and to the healthy happiness in Scandinavia in winter. This is not to say that Swedish gymnastics, which was also shyly introduced in some parts of Germany, London and new york, is of little value. A friend of ours, I can say that an outstanding friend of ours, Dr. Lagrange, a consultant of our alliance, once visited the site to study Swedish gymnastics, and the readers of Two Worlds magazine gained his impression of Stockholm College. He wrote: "Swedish gymnastics is the gymnastics of the weak." Indeed, that's why we don't want to accept this kind of gymnastics. Swedish gymnastics is slow and suitable for the elderly and delicate children. Because of its scientific function, it is also suitable for patients. What Mr. Lagrange is interested in and fascinated by is mainly its medical aspects. He wrote that when French doctors went to Stockholm to study, they were faced with such novel things, and the body movements he saw in some public or private "colleges" were so diverse that he was puzzled at first. Gradually, a clear train of thought appeared in his mind: summarizing and classifying the process of these dexterous movements, and realizing that their essence can be summarized into two results: quantifying the exercise and positioning the movements. This brings people a bold idea, and the foundation of this medical gymnastics is based on the unique and in-depth study of the muscle system. I mean, the medical function is achieved through exercise and some massage related to it, and even some heart diseases can be treated with excellent curative effect. For more than half a century, Swedes have been going to these colleges to find health ways, and only the curative effect deserves people's attention to Swedish gymnastics. However, enthusiasts of physical exercise are usually not patients. We are mainly dealing with healthy people. Swedish gymnastics pays attention to children, especially at an age when they are worried about physical problems; It is also suitable for patients and provides exercises suitable for the elderly, all of which are good. However, there is no power in the world of young people. What young people need is exactly what they gave up: strength and competition. In Swedish gymnastics, strength is gained through the range of movements rather than strength, and people feel it slowly and never get impatient. As for competition, a creed of Swedish gymnastics is that people can't compare with each other, and people can only compare with themselves. If we young athletes are asked to give up their efforts and competition, we should first draw blood from their veins: as long as there is one drop of blood, they will not give up. This is my answer. In fact, if you give them the same warning, it is to ridicule them. It's easy to think of Sham's cartoon: a mother puts her little girl in Dolores Park and tells her, "Have fun, my child, but don't catch cold or heat, don't wrinkle your skirt, don't dirty your boots, don't mess up your hair, and don't mess up your hair."