Three years after he retired from the leadership of the IOC, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was still beating the drum about the importance of sport in education.  Essentially, he had returned to his first passion—ensuring that children in France and the world over had the full benefits physical education at the schools they attended.  Recognizing the vital role of parents in encouraging play, and the growing influence of journalists on public opinion, the Baron called on them to align with teachers in their responsibility to help children develop physically, mentally and emotionally.  Today’s quote is from “The Educational Use of Athletic Activity,” a speech the Baron gave to the International Bureau of Sports Pedagogy in Lausanne in November of 1928.

“There are three kinds of educators: parents, teachers, and journalists, whom modern civilization has invested with a delicate role, whether they want it or not. In the hands of these people, to varying degrees and in very different ways, athletic education is a powerful tool for human development.”