Baron Pierre de Coubertin saw a direct relationship between the balance an individual could achieve through sport and the social harmony of a nation benefitting from a broad participation in athletics. Today's quote makes a direct link between the two. Coubertin expressed this idea in 'The Neo-Olympism: Appeal to the People of Athens,' a letter he published in Le Messager d'Athènes in 1894, as he rallied Greek support for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The idea that sport could serve a nation—and thereby the world—has endured in the work of the Olympic Movement since. Here's the passage from which the quote is drawn:

"To seek in sport the harmony of the faculties, calm and happy strength... Athletics can best serve the interests of a nation and enrich its destiny when viewed in this light. My Athenian friends, the honor for showing the world this particular approach belongs to you."