As we arrive at the final quote of the year—the 365th daily post from the writings of Baron Pierre de Coubertin—it seems appropriate that we look to the future and the work ahead. As the Baron noted in his “Message to the Olympia-Berlin (Torch Relay) Runners,” which appeared in Le Sport Suisse in 1936, the work of the Olympic Movement is never ending.  There is always a new generation rising, young people in need of sport, ready to test their talents against the limits of human performance.  And sport, as the Baron said over and over again across the last year, has a vital role to play in the evolution of civil society and its educational foundation.  The role of sport is permanent, but it is always in a state of renewal—and those who devote themselves to its mission must remain responsive to the opportunities to adapt it to the changing times, to make sport ever more relevant, ever more meaningful in a world still in desperate need of unifying forces.  As we look back on the lessons the Baron left us, it is clear that above all else he sought to use sport to lift humanity to new heights by empowering every individual to live life more fully.  Out of the rising tide of human development that sport alone can foster, the Baron saw the emergence of Olympians, men and women from every nation capable of rare feats of athletic grace that would inspire the world.  In the Baron’s idealistic vision, the Games were meant to draw us all closer, to enhance our understanding of each other, and to provide us with common ground where we could—in the light of the Olympic flame—celebrate the ties that bind us all together in the experience of life, ultimately leading us toward a world united in friendship and peace through sport.  Tomorrow begins a new year, and the words of the Baron will echo through this site once again, reminding us day by day that the Olympic Movement he birthed remains full of hope and the promise of a better world.

“Let us congratulate ourselves on what we have accomplished, yet remain aware that more remains to be done.”