Excerpt from the book

³The Olympic Deceit of The µDivine Baron¶ ± Pierre de Coubertin´

byLjubodrag Simonovi. E-mail :comrade@sezampro.rs

OLYMPISM AND FASCISM

As early as 1929, at the time of the great recession, ³father´ of the modern OlympicGames Pierre de Coubertin expressed his inclination towards authoritarian regimes, namely hisdiscontent with the inefficiency of the capitalist system in its dealing with the working class :"First of all, it was necessary to establish the International Olympic Committee with its basic rights, that should have been acknowledged by all the nations. This was not easy, becausethe Constitution of the Committee was opposed to the ideas of the time. It discarded the principleof delegation, so dear to our parliamentary democracies - the principle which, having done somegreat good, seems to be less efficient every day".

(1)

It should also be noted that Coubertin was cordially accepted and his works published infascist Germany, in spite of being "a great French patriot", a fact important at the time of Germanrevanchism. Theodor Lewald, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Berlin Olympics,wrote of Coubertin at the end of his Introduction to

Olympische Erinnerungen

published inBerlin in 1938:"He understood and enthusiastically saluted the development of thenew Germany under her Great Führer".

(2)

The lecture on the Berlin Olympics delivered by Coubertin on German radio August 4, 1935,testifies that this is not merely a polite exaggeration:"I was honoured to accept the invitation to give the first lecture on theimportance of the Olympic Games, as their founder and the Presidentof Honour. I think that the best way to answer the question is toexplain my original ideas and the philosophical basis upon which Itried to build my work. With great interest I am following the preparationsfor the XI Games in this fourth year of the X modern Olympiad. These preparations are based upon an excellent plan and are executed after anabsolutely clear total idea, with no less care paid to details. I am under an impression that the whole of Germany, from her Leader to the mosthumble participant, wishes with all its heart to make the celebration in1936 one of the most beautiful that the world has ever seen, although London,Stockholm, Amsterdam and Los Angeles produced real miracles. In ayear's time, Christmas bells will announce the appearance of the athletes fromall around the world at the Berlin Stadium. Today I wish to thank the Germangovernment and its people for their efforts in honour of the XI Olympiad."

(3)

Coubertin expressed his ultimate support to the Nazi regime in his broadcasted speechheld at the closing ceremony of the Berlin Olympics, the speech that he, himself, later published.This is what he said:"Guard the holy flame!The XI Olympic Games will soon be a memory, but what a powerfuland rich memory!Above all, the memory of beauty. From that moment thirty years ago,

when I summoned a conference on arts, literature and sport, aimed to establisha permanent relation between the renewed Olympics and the creations of mindand spirit, the realisation of this ideal has been helped by many prudent efforts,from Stockholm to Los Angeles. Now Berlin is sanctifying it by some daringinnovations, completely successful ones, such as the relay carrying of the hollytorch from Olympia and the magnificent celebration at the monumental stadiumon the first night of the Games, whose creator is my ingenious friendand enthusiast Carl Diem.Memory of courage, because courage was necessary to overcome the difficulties¶Führer met having posed the request

ir wollen bauen!

("We want to build!"),and to confront the disloyal and perfidious attacks that try to stop the progressivecreative enterprise (referring to the boycott of the Berlin Games).Finally, memory of hope, because understanding stronger than death itself was forged under the symbolical flag with the five circles... "

reude

Tochter aus

..."(The opening words of Schiller's

Ode of Joy

which was a part of "the artistic programme" at the Berlin opening). The history and the struggle will continue, but science will gradually replace the dangerous ignorance; mutual understandingwill replace blind hatred. Thus the building I built for half a century will beconsolidated. And you, athletes, do not forget the flame lit by the Sun, broughtto you from Olympia to light our epoch. Guard it deep in your souls, to makeit reappear at the other end of the world, in four years time, when we shallcelebrate the XII Olympics at the faraway shores of the great Pacific."

(4)

The reference is made to the fascist Japan. Another great gesture of the IOC!When speaking of the ³perfidious attacks´ on the Nazi Olympic Games, Coubertin wasalso thinking of the attempt on the part of members of the international brigades, the Spanishrepublican combatants, to organize the ³Olympiada popular´ in Barcelona in July 1936 as aresponse to the Nazi Olympic Games. The troops of fascist General Franco prevented these³Peoples Games´ being held.Here is what Heinrich Mann said on the eve of the Nazi Olympic Games :³Free peoples do not have the right to support the Berlin Olympic Games.(«) Nazism does not see man other than as an instrument for achievingits barbarian goals. Can such a regime, based on forced labour and slaveryof the masses, a regime that is preparing for war and exists merely throughmendacious propaganda, respect peaceful sport and free sportsmen? Believeme, those international sportsmen who go to Berlin are nothing more thangladiators, prisoners and entertainers for the dictator who already considershimself master of the world. Finally, I should like to stress that the successof the Olympic Games will help to prolong Hitler¶s regime for a time. It willgive it new possibilities and strength. It will reinforce its prestige«´

(5)

Another clue to Coubertin's attitude towards the Nazi regime in Germany may be found inhis interview given to Andre Lang and published in the French paper

e journal

on August 27,1936. The motive for this conversation was the article by Jacques Goddet in

"L'A

uto

, under thetitle borrowed from Emile Zola -

accuse!

, who questioned the legitimacy of the BerlinOlympics. Here are Coubertin's words:"The Games are perverted? The Olympic idea is sacrificed to propaganda?

That is utterly untrue. The magnificent success of the Berlin Games served perfectly the idea of Olympics. Only the French, or almost only the French, are playingCassandra..."And further:"The fact that the Games in 1936 are illuminated by Hitler strength anddiscipline causes excitement in France. How could it be different? On thecontrary, we should wish that the Games would always be so well organized,that every nation takes part in their preparing during the four years."

(6)

Not only the left-wing papers, but also bourgeois journals fervently disputed theseattitudes, along with Coubertin's arguing to organize the French sport after the Nazi model. Thisis what the

Paris-Soir

, the paper that published the interview with Hitler in January the sameyear, wrote about the Berlin Games:"It is not an athlete who is celebrated any more. Instead, the whole nation hailsits colours, the victory of the race, the reigning system, the army... The Germanaudience breaks the elementary rules of politeness. It should never happen againthat one nation uses the Games to humiliate other nations."

(7)

Having published this article, the Paris journal was not allowed to report from the Gamesand its journalists were not allowed to enter Germany.

(8)

Coubertin had a special reason to be enthusiastic about the Berlin Games. The organizersof the Games had a giant bell casted and decorated with the figure of an eagle, not a very friendlylooking one, holding the Olympic circles in his claws. At the rim of the bell there was a message :"

ch rufe die Jugend der

elt

" ("I invite the youth of the world"). The Olympic Stadium in Berlinthus became a kind of a modern shrine in which the most spectacular of all the religious rites of the New Age was to be performed - the Nazi Olympic Games. This was the incarnation of theideas Coubertin fought for all his life.As far as the "artistic programme" of the Berlin Olympiad is concerned, we have alreadystated that Coubertin had specially paid tribute to his friend Carl Diem for organizing the"magnificent celebration" of the opening. What did this "magnificent celebration" look like infact? This is how Richard Mandell described the occasion:"The most famous living German musician Richard Strauss, dressed inwhite, conducts the great orchestra and the chorus of three thousandvoices performing "

Deutchland über

lles

" and "

Horst

essell

ied

",and the new "

Olympic Hymn

", written specially for the occasion bythe old composer, the cultural hero of both Wilhelm's and Weimar Germany."

(9)

And these are the words of the most popular march of the time, "

Horst