As we witness the feats and performances of the athletes of the Pyeongchang Paralympic Winter Games, we see the joys of a more intense life unfolding in extraordinary ways once again.  While the Paralympics were not founded until after World War II—a decade after Coubertin’s death—the ‘joy of effort’ the Baron spoke of so often is clearly on display right now. The philosophy of Olympism applies to this worldwide festival of elite sport as much as it did to the last.   

Today’s quote is drawn from the article, The Neo-Olympism: Appeal to the People of Athens, which appeared in Le Messager d’Athénes in 1894. 

“It is absolutely noble and beautiful to engage in manly exercises with the intention of defending one's country better and fulfilling one's duties as a citizen better. But there is another thing that is more perfectly human, if one dare speak in such terms. That is to seek in athletics a marvelous solidification of the human machine, a delicate balance of mind and body, the joy of a fresher and more intense life.”