The Olympic Games have, indeed, fostered the unity of global sports over the years—and Lausanne, Switzerland, which rightfully brands itself as the Olympic Capital of the world, is living proof that the unity of Olympic sport, which Baron Pierre de Coubertin wrote about in 1910, continues to thrive today.  In fact, if you visit Lausanne, you will find the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and more than fifty international sports federations, many of which are headquartered in single building—the Maison du Sport International.  Across the last century, as the Olympic Games grew in prominence and became a magnetic force for all sports, the individual federations discovered the benefits of cooperation that the Baron spoke of in his article, “All Sports,” which appeared in the Olympic Review in 1910.  The Baron was right, the unity of sport is one of the greatest aspects of the Olympic Movement, then and now.

“The restored Olympic Games have forced all sports to create unforeseen and fruitful contacts. This progress toward such valuable unification is one of the greatest aspects of the work of the Olympics.”