Coubertin, Pierre, Baron De

(born Jan. 1, 1863, Paris, France—died Sept.

2, 1937, Geneva, Switz.) French educator, primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894. He became one of the first advocates of physical education in France. His drive to restart the Olympics, after a 1,500-year suspension, was partly inspired by a visit to Greece, where excavators were uncovering the ancient Olympic site. He served as the second president (1896–1925) of the International Olympic Committee.