During the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the Greek organizers and the Royal Family infamously shunted Baron Pierre de Coubertin and his IOC colleagues to the side, denying them the visibility and credit they clearly deserved for reviving the lost glories of Greece.  Although he was humiliated to be sidelined, the Baron bit his tongue and waited for the right moment to assert his authorship. It came in his contribution to the Official Report of the Games, from which this quote is taken.  Several historians have been critical of the Baron’s singular assertion of this claim, noting that he had many progenitors and collaborators, but given the circumstances he endured in Greece, it seems to be fully justified—and the benefits he prophesied have certainly come true. 

 “I hereby assert once more my claims for being sole author of the whole project: I take the opportunity to thank most warmly those who have assisted me in carrying out successfully this work, and those who join with me in hoping that the revival of the Olympic Games will bring Athleticism to a high state of perfection, and that they will infuse new elements of ambition in the lives of the rising generation: a love for concord and a respect for life!”