Although he had an idealistic view of the possibilities of international sport, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was not naïve about human nature.  He knew that personal passions and selfish ambitions were powerful motivators that often displaced the selfless, altruistic and peaceful impulses he hoped Olympic competition would produce.  As he wrote about “The Philosophic Foundation of Modern Olympism,” an article that appeared in Le Sport Suisse in 1935, he acknowledged that such internal conflicts were a permanent part of the human condition.

“Men are not angels, and I do not believe that humanity would profit from having most men become angels. But the truly strong man is one whose will is powerful enough to make himself and his group stop pursuing its desire or passion for domination and possession, regardless of how legitimate such pursuits may be.”