Olympic and Paralympic Values Dr Dikaia Chatziefstathiou Senior Lecturer dc130@canterbury.ac.uk

1. Olympic and Paralympic Values Dr DikaiaChatziefstathiouSenior Lecturerdc130@canterbury.ac.uk

2. Aims of this presentation: • to examine the nature of the ideology of Olympism in the modern Olympic movement • to identify the Olympic and Paralympic values • To explore the ways that those values can be used as “hooks” for community engagement in London 2012

3. Modern Olympic Movement • The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in Paris • The ideology of Olympism has been since then the ideological platform against which the Olympic Games take place and materialise.

4. Coubertin and Olympism “[Olympism is] a school of nobility and of moral purity as well as of endurance and physical energy – but only if…honesty and sportsman-like unselfishness are as highly developed as the strength of muscles” (Coubertin, 1931: p. 208)

5. Olympism “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” (Olympic Charter, 2007; Fundamental Principle 1: p. 9)

6. Olympism (cont.) “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. (Olympic Charter 2007, Fundamental Principle 2; p. 9)

7. W.P. Brookes to Coubertin: “The establishment of an International Olympic Association has long been a cherished idea of mine, so far as making Greece the centre; but the plan of your congress, embracing as it does, all nations, with festivals taking place in or near the capitals of all nations joining the movement, is a really superb one”. May 23rd, 1894

8. British Olympic Heritage • ‘The ‘Cotswold Olimpicks’ of Robert Dover, 1612 • Cambridge University ‘Olympic Games’, 1620 • ‘Olympic Games on the banks of the Thames’, 1727 • ‘Saxon Olympic Games’, 1738 • Olympic Weeks, Baron de Berenger, 1832 • Olympic Festival, Leicester, 1839 • Shropshire Olympian Games, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1890 • Liverpool Olympics Festival, 1862 • Olympic Festival, Manchester, 1864 • National Olympian Games, 1866 (Crystal Palace), 1867 (Birmingham), 1868 (Wellington), 1874 (Much Wenlock), 1877 (Shrewsbury), 1883 (Hadley) • YMCA Olympic Festival, Liverpool, 1894

9. Anglomania What lasting undertaking can be founded on the basis of fashion?[...]The only way to ensure any relative long-term survival of the athletic renaissance then still in its infancy was to superimpose the immense prestige of antiquity on the passing fad of Anglomania, thereby undercutting, to some extent, any opposition from the students of classicism, and to impose on the world a system whose fame spread beyond all national borders. (Coubertin 1929: lines 131 - 144)

10. The Olympic Ideals • philosophy of life • balance/ harmony • strength/ perseverance • competitiveness • participation • teamwork • excellence • body and mind (mens sana in corpore sano) • friendship, excellence, respect • youth/ independent active citizens • peace • universalism • internationalism • understanding • ‘brotherhood’ and ‘fraternity’ • cosmopolitanism • environmentalism • sustainability • social responsibility Different layers: • personal/ individual • collective • culture-specific • multiculturalism/ interculturalism • pluralism/ diversity

11. Britain: From Past to Present • London as a global capital • From imperialistic and colonial power to a pluralist, diverse and multicultural society • Differing worldviews and epistemologies • Forum of cultural exchange • Consensus around the values of Olympism

12. Theme 17 – Olympism and Culture

15. The Olympic and Paralympic Values • Friendship • Excellence • Respect • Determination • Courage • Equality • Inspiration

16. Three main streams of thought: • What do we mean by the term “community engagement”? • How can the Olympic and Paralympic values be used to leverage community engagement, well-being and pride in relation to London 2012?

17. Communities

18. Engagement

19. Community engagement 'Community engagement' is therefore a planned process with the specific purpose of working with identified groups of people, whether they are connected by geographic location, special interest, or affiliation or identify to address issues affecting their well-being Cavaye 2001

24. “The so-called ‘magic dust’ associated with the Games is a once in a life time opportunity for councils to use the inspiration of 2012 to help achieve existing priorities and make a difference locally” Local Government Association (LGA)

25. “it is not necessarily about doing lots of new things; it is about achieving existing targets and priorities and using the Games…as the magic dust to try and actually accelerate the delivery of some of those existing priorities” London Organising Committee (LOCOG)

26. Olympic ideals and community well-being Olympic ideals as a source of inspiration for: • better health/ lifestyle • cooperation/ teamwork • regeneration • can-do mindset/ achievement Of course there are constraints and challenges (demonstration and festival effects, SPEAR)

27. HEROES

28. BEST OF US - ALL TOGETHER NOW

29. Olympic and Paralympic ValuesDr DikaiaChatziefstathiouSenior Lecturerdc130@canterbury.ac.uk