Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Capturing Olympic and Paralympic Values in Practice

Dr Dikaia ChatziefstathiouSenior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport and

LeisureEmail: dc130@canterbury.ac.uk

Aim of this presentation

To critically explore what Olympism and Olympic/ Paralympic values are

Reflect upon the educational value of Olympism

Suggest ways how the Olympic and Paralympic values can be captured in education

Olympism

“school of nobility and of moral purity as well as of endurance and physical energy – but only if…honesty and sportsman-like unselfishness are as highly developed as the strength of muscles”

(Coubertin, 1931: p. 208).

Olympism and education

1880s educational reform for the French government• Travels to England, Germany, America and

Canada

Olympism, for Coubertin, aimed at the harmonious development of the intellectual, moral and physical aspects of a human being through athletic competition (Segrave and Chu, 1981)

Olympism

“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”

(Olympic Charter, 2007; Fundamental Principle 1: p. 9)

Olympism (cont.)

“The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

(Olympic Charter 2007, Fundamental Principle 2; p. 9)

Goals of Olympism

a) to educate and cultivate the individual through sport

b) to cultivate the relations of men (sic) in society

c) to promote international understanding and peace, and

d) to worship human greatness and possibility

Loland, 1994

Eclectic philosophy

What lasting undertaking can be founded on the basis of fashion?[...]The only way to ensure any relative long-term survival of the athletic renaissance then still in its infancy was to superimpose the immense prestige of antiquity on the passing fad of Anglomania, thereby undercutting, to some extent, any opposition from the students of classicism, and to impose on the world a system whose fame spread beyond all national borders. (Coubertin 1929: lines 131 - 144)

The critiques of Olympism

the rise of nationalisms the involvement of politics in sport and the advent

of successive Olympic boycotts accelerating commercialization the professionalization of athletes evidence of discrimination in the areas of race,

gender and ethnicity in the Olympic arena the Eurocentric and western character of the

Olympic Movement, and the scandals concerning bribery of the IOC

members

The Olympic Ideals

Different layers:

personal/ individual collective culture-specific

philosophy of life balance/ harmony strength/ perseverance competitiveness participation teamwork excellence body and mind (mens sana in

corpore sano) friendship, excellence, respect youth/ independent active

citizens

peace universalism internationalism understanding ‘brotherhood’ and ‘fraternity’

cosmopolitanism environmentalism sustainability social responsibility

multiculturalism/ interculturalism

pluralism/ diversity

Olympic Values defined today

Respect – fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment

excellence – how to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life;

taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives

friendship – how, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences

Paralympic Values defined today

courage determination inspiration Equality

Olympic & Paralympic values Video

Olympic Education

Moral education?

Physical education?

Sport education?

Youth education?

All of those?

Descriptions of Olympic Education

Kidd 198

5

Gruepe 199

6

Parry

1998

Naul 200

2

Mueller 200

4

Binder

2005

Olympic Education programmes

Knowledge-oriented

(visiting ancient and modern sites)

Experiential (festivals, youth

camps etc.)

Physical (sport

competitions, physical education)

‘Lifeworld’- oriented approach (strong moral focus)

Naul, 2008

Most common forms of OE:

Theoretical approaches eg. History of OG Olympic education as pedagogy through

culture Olympic education as physical education /

sport pedagogy Olympic education as values education /

interdisciplinary learning

So what really is Olympic Education?

OR BETTER ASK THE QUESTION...

How can the Olympic and Paralympic values be captured in practice?

“Journey to the West”

“Journey to the East”

BBC Olympic Monkey Movie

“Olympism, which was considered a static and closed philosophy, has gradually been transformed to a more open network of ideas accommodating a degree of pluralist vision, and critique, with reference to its values. Although this may be interpreted as fragmentation in the culturally diverse context of the Olympic Movement, it may also be described in terms of the ‘flexibility’ of Olympism and its capacity to constitute a terrain for exchange of different worldviews and ideas”

Chatziefstathiou, 2005

“Olympism as an ‘ideal’ may in such circumstances be defined, not as a set of immutable values, but as a process for consensus construction in terms of values in the world of global sport”

Chatziefstathiou, 2005

Olympic Games as ‘magic dust’

The Olympics as “Doureios Ippos” (the Trojan Horse)

• to carry images, symbols, values which will ultimately capture the imagination of people

Capturing the Olympic & Paralympic values

Across the School Curriculum Specifically in PE (education

about/through/of the physical) Higher Education Art competitions/ exhibitions Youth festivals/ camps Olympic academies/ groups of interest Social media

Olympic Physical Activity, Sport and Health (OPASH) Legacy

Project Demonstration effect

Festival effect

Active Celebration project

Values as “Hooks”

‘Value-match’ initiatives

• Matched to groups’ pre-existing values such as sport, lifestyle, family, community or eco related values

Active Celebration Initiatives

Initiative 1: YOU NEVER LOSE IT!

Initiative 2: RAISE YOUR GAME!

Initiative 3: GENERATION GAMES

Initiative 4: CROSS OVER

Initiative 5: GOING FOR GREENInitiative 6: FAMILY FUN WORKSInitiative 7: CHANCE TO DANCEInitiative 8: CITY SPINInitiative 9: LET’S PLAYInitiative 10: STROLL ‘n’ ROLLInitiative 11: CULTURAL CARNIVALSInitiative 12: ULTIMATE

PERFORMANCEInitiative 13: SILVER SPIRIT

Concluding remarksThe Olympic & Paralympic values are:

Not a coherent system of values uniquely associated with the Olympic Games but are unique in combining several layers of values in an eclectic way which is adaptable to several contexts

inside or outside the school curriculum, through PE or any other knowledge subject, through cultural activities or lifelong learning, as well as through social media or international sport development programmes (eg Olympic Solidarity and the International Inspiration Project

International Inspiration Project

Gentlemen, this is the order of ideas from which I intend to draw the elements of moral strength that must guide and protect the renaissance of athletics. Healthy democracy and wise and peaceful internationalism will make their way into the new stadium. There they will glorify the honour and selflessness that will enable athletics to carry out its task of moral betterment and social peace, as well as physical development. That is why every four years the restored Olympic Games must provide a happy and fraternal meeting place for the youth of the world, a place where, gradually, the ignorance of each other in which people live will disappear. This ignorance perpetuates ancient hatreds, increases misunderstandings, and precipitates such barbaric events as fights to the finish. (Coubertin 1894: lines 336 - 350)

Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Thank you

Dr Dikaia ChatziefstathiouSenior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport and

Leisure

Email: dc130@canterbury.ac.uk

Links with Foucault and governmentality? IN CANADA/ Vancouver experience / part of

the curriculum / interdisciplinary