Taking part in the Olympic games is a personal honour as well as a national one. The Olympic Games is an international movement that believes in building community through sport and promoting inter-cultural understanding. The founder of the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin promoted the the values of Olympism- excellence, friendship and respect, upon which he expanded this international movement.
Core values of the Olympic games
Excellence
In the context of competition, Olympic excellence refers to a personal best. It instructs athletes to strive towards their personal best without over-emphasizing competition. This means that winning is as important as playing for the love of the game. Olympic athletes should strive to be excellent both on and off the field and benefit from the healthy combination of strong mind, body and will.
Friendship
The athletes that compete during the games are the most important part of the movement. By promoting the values of solidarity, team spirit, and love for sport, the games hope to inspire mutual understanding between people. It encourages athletes to learn to overcome barriers such as poverty, racism, and religion to make long-lasting friendships with their team-mates and their opponents, and in doing so set an example for citizens of all nations.
Respect
Respect has many meanings in the context of the games. It refers to respect for oneself, for their bodies and the bodies of their opponents. It also means respect for the rules of the sport in which they are participating and fair-play.
Project : Can you find out what kind of projects are conducted by the International Olympic Committee to spread the core values of the organisation?
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