For Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic Games were always meant for the whole world.  Universalism was an undeniable principle in his vision for spreading sport to every country on our planet.  As the controversies arose around the 1936 Berlin Olympics, some critics suggested that the Olympics were a fashion that would fade over time.  The Baron responded, rejecting the notion that Olympic sport was a passing trend.  Here’s a longer passage from an article he wrote for BZ am Mittag in 1936, entitled The Origins and Limits of Athletic Progress.

“From the very beginning, over forty years ago, I have held that the renewed Olympism is big enough to encompass the whole world. I saw Olympism as a sort of guarantee … against … any hostility that may suddenly come into vogue. Once a trend has spanned the globe, it becomes more difficult to get rid of it. As time goes on, in fact, fashion is becoming a less significant element in athletic development, because sports tend to become a habit, then a need, in the individual.”

“From the very beginning, I have held that modern Olympism is big enough to encompass the whole world.”