When he succeeded in launching the modern Olympic Games at the Sorbonne in June of 1894, he thanked the press for supporting his efforts.  As word of the Olympic revival spread around Paris, through France and across Europe, the Baron monitored public opinion through anecdotes shared by his colleagues. That November, while struggling to overcome political opposition to the Games from the Greek government, the Baron turned to the public, knowing the general populace in Greece favored the idea of hosting the Games, reminding them that the Olympic revival had already been embraced across the continent because of the stature of the Ancient Games. Today’s quote is from “The Neo-Olympism: Appeal to the People of Athens,” which appeared in Le Messager d’Athènes that November.

“Gentlemen, such is the prestige of antiquity, particularly the part of antiquity you represent, that public opinion immediately supported this project, even though its scope was astonishingly broad and could have left the public disbelieving. Nor was there any smiling or scorn among those who misunderstood the plan, who believed that we were trying to revive not the fundamental idea of the Olympic institution but merely its external form.”