As Richard D. Mandell wrote in
The First Modern Olympics, most of his writing was dry and repetitive, and he had to use part of his vast fortune to pay for its publication. His works on the early Olympics have survived because of their historical interest.
Coubertin's grandiose plans for wholesale reform of the French educational system never came to pass; not did his desire to revitalize all of French culture. However, he will be remembered forever as the founder and organizer of the modern Olympic Games. The Games, originally celebrated in ancient Greece as part of ancient religious beliefs, had not been held for almost 1500 years.
Sought Support for his Olympic Plan
As Mandell pointed out, Coubertin had little contact with athletes, but he was superb at convincing bureaucrats and wealthy supporters that the Olympics were a worthy cause. The fact that he was an energetic and optimistic member of the nobility made it hard for them to refuse. He organized banquets and assemblies at which he prodded them to take action. He presented his new Olympic Committee as a strong and growing organization worthy of their support. However, as Mandell noted, "His 'Comite international olympique'-confidently referred to at the front of brochures, listed at the top of letterheads, and accompanied by the five interlocking rings in the common colors representing those on all the national flags-was for many years the frailest of paper structures."
Coubertin became established as an expert on physical education.
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