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Dimitrios Vikelas: The First President of the International Olympic Committee and His Role in the Implementation of the First Olympic Games

2024; Sagamore-Venture Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.18666/tpe-2024-v81-i5-11798

2160-1682

Eleni D. Kantzidou, Lawrence W. Judge,

Sports, Gender, and Society

This paper explores the life of Dimitrios Vikelas, specifically as it relates to his work in bringing the first modern Olympic Games to Athens, Greece, in 1896. The increasing professionalization of the Olympics has shifted the focus of the Games toward sport and the building of superstars rather than the ethical values that can be gleaned from this international event. Discussing Olympism and Vikelas’ core values with students is an important way to reintegrate fair play and sportsmanship into all levels of sport. The paper examines the history behind the concept of international sporting games, specifically the ancient Olympic Games, their much-imitated early European coun-terparts, and the Modern Olympics. By teaching Vikelas’ philosophy of brotherhood and sportsmanship in the classroom, we can begin to breath the spirit of Olympism back into the Olympic Games.