At the close of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin provided a message to the organizers and the athletes.  In the message he praised the Germans and their “Führer" for their efforts—praise which created a great deal of animosity toward the Baron in his native France. But in the message, he also condemned “dreadful ignorance” and “impulsive hatreds” and closed on a note of hope and optimism for the athletes.  Looking ahead to the next Games in 1940 in Tokyo, he urged them to focus on the beauty of the flame and its eternal verities.  The original draft of the speech is in the IOC archives.

“And you, athletes, remember the flame, lit by the ardent sun, which has come to you from Olympia, to lend its light and its warmth to our era. Guard it jealously so that it may reappear in full strength on the other side of the world when, in four years’ time, you will celebrate the 22nd Olympiad on the faraway shores of the Pacific Ocean!”