Catholic Answers’ Post

Sport as a human Right: As he concluded his Olympic Memoirs in the early 1930s, Baron Pierre de Coubertin predicted a healthy future for the Olympic Movement and the philosophy of Olympism.  In a prophetic note, he stated that sport would survive regardless of the political power struggles between the nations of the world. He proclaimed that sport was the birthright of every man, woman and child—and that nothing could replace it. The passage below, which rings with the hopes the Baron had for the survival of his legacy, appears in Legends, the last chapter of his Olympic Memoir. “Anyway, this growing popularity of sport among the working class is an undeniable guarantee for the survival of Olympism—whatever the outcome of the duel waged between two totally opposed social systems for the possession of power throughout the universe. It also implies recognition of the vital fact, strongly contested until quite recently, that sport is not a luxury pastime, an activity for the leisured few, nor merely a form of muscular compensation for mental activity. For every man, woman and child, sport offers an opportunity for self-improvement quite independent of profession or position in life. It is the prerogative of all, equally and to the same degree, and nothing can replace it." Via: coubertinspeaks.com

An Olympics that shall make all of us make improvements. A delegation of 117 athletes Only 1 Silver and 5 Bronze out of which two are by a single person. In between that, 1. Disqualification, due to weight cutting and not keeping up the standards. 2. 1 Wrestler Antim was DEPORTED from Paris, for sharing her Olympic Village accreditation. 3. In Hockey our Key player gets a 2 match ban and team slips out of the quarter final. ALL THIS is lack of Discipline, and one very serious moral issue, how shameful it is to have your representative deported from a country? We need to embrace the fact that we need to let our children free to chose their career and be more concerned of the their discipline and moral issues instead of Back door entries being glorified, LINE Cutting glorified Traffic Law Breach Glorified Human life and efforts disregarded Respect for the rules missing. Surprisingly World's Economy against their ranks in Olympics. 1. USA Olympic Rank 1 2. CHINA Olympic Rank 2 3. Germany Olympic Rank 10 4. Japan Olympic Rank 7 5 India Olympic Rank 64 6. UK Olympic Rank 5 7. France Olympic Rank 4 8. Brazil Olympic Rank 19 9. Italy Olympic Rank 9 10. Canada Olympic Rank 11

Celebrate the Olympic Games: A Global Spectacle of Unity and Achievement Read More: https://lnkd.in/eTAPSeaF The Olympic Games, the pinnacle of international sportsmanship, captivate the world every four years with its awe-inspiring display of athleticism, dedication, and unity. From its ancient roots to its modern-day incarnation, the Olympic Games continue to foster global camaraderie, showcasing the very best of human achievement. In this blog post, we invite you to embark on a journey into the enchanting world of the Olympic Games, as we celebrate its rich history, values, and the profound impact it has on people's lives around the globe. I. The History of the Olympic Games: The Olympic Games trace their origins back over two millennia to ancient Greece. The earliest recorded Olympiad dates back to 776 BCE when athletes from various Greek city-states competed in honor of the gods. Revived in 1896, the modern Olympic Games have evolved into a global phenomenon, bringing together athletes from every corner of the world to participate in a celebration of sportsmanship and excellence. II. The Olympic Values: At the core of the Olympic Games lie three fundamental values: excellence, friendship, and respect. These values guide athletes, officials, and spectators alike...

## Jim Thorpe’s Disqualification: A Tale of Triumph and Injustice 🌟🏅 Jim Thorpe, often hailed as the greatest athlete of his time, made history at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics by winning gold in both the pentathlon and decathlon. His unparalleled athletic prowess and iconic moments, like winning the high jump in mismatched shoes, cemented his legendary status. Yet, Thorpe's achievements were overshadowed by a significant controversy. ### 🏅 The Golden Era Thorpe's feats were nothing short of extraordinary. The King of Sweden himself dubbed him the greatest athlete in the world. His Olympic performances set records that lasted well into the 20th century, showcasing his versatility and dominance across multiple sports. ### 🚫 Disqualification Drama However, Thorpe’s Olympic success was marred by the IOC's rigid and, at times, discriminatory rules on amateurism. The IOC disqualified him, citing violations of their Victorian-era standards—rules that were frequently bent or ignored by white athletes without consequence. This decision was seen as elitist and racially biased, casting a shadow over Thorpe's accomplishments. ### ⚖️ A Long Road to Justice Despite the initial disqualification, Thorpe’s legacy remained a point of contention. After significant pressure from supporters and a reevaluation of his case, the IOC finally returned his medals in the early 1980s, acknowledging the injustice. Jim Thorpe’s story is a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by athletes of color and the ongoing struggle for fairness in sports. #JimThorpe #OlympicHistory #Stockholm1912 #AthleticLegend #IOCControversy #DisqualificationDrama #AmateurismRules #SportsInjustice #ThorpeMedals #LegacyRestored

📣 New Year’s Message 2025 by IOC President Thomas Bach: “Values First” 🔹 "Solidarity for us means: in the Olympic Movement, there is no “global south” or “global north”. In our Olympic community, we are all equal. And we are walking the talk of solidarity. Despite the existing disruptions of the global economy, we have secured great financial stability for our Olympic Movement. For the Olympiad that has come to an end, we will distribute 6.8 billion US dollars to the Olympic community. In other words, every day of the year, 4.7 million dollars go to support athletes and the just and equal development of sport around the world. Based on the revenues already secured for the next two Olympiads, and the many projects that are in the pipeline, the outlook is extremely positive – and this means that our distribution will even increase during this Olympiad 2025 to 2028. 🔹 In anticipation of this, we have already increased our Olympic Solidarity budget by 10 per cent to 650 million dollars for this new Olympiad. We will continue the distribution of a minimum of 90 per cent of our revenues. This is just another demonstration that for our Olympic Movement, money is not an end in itself. For our Olympic Movement, money is just a tool for solidarity –a tool to mitigate the inequalities of this world. 🔹 For the IOC, it is always “Values First”. It is only by walking the talk of solidarity and by living our Olympic values – the values of solidarity, equality, human dignity for all – that we can bring the entire world together in peace." ➡️ Full message to read: https://lnkd.in/ej7VkMsJ ➡️ Full message to watch: https://lnkd.in/eE7v_rRH

Here's some trivia facts for the International Olympics. The iconic rings are a symbol around the world. What were 5 rings, and 5 colors, chosen to represent over a hundred years ago, and does it still hold true today? To find out, we have to go back in time over a century and meet Frenchman Baron Pierre Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. Interestingly, as a young man at the time, his focus was not on athletics but educational reform. He desired the French schools include physical activity like the British. I don't think he achieved that but much more instead! In 1894 he founded the first International Olympic Committee and himself drew what we now identify as the Olympic rings in the early years of the competition. Not surprisingly, the interconnected rings of equal size represented the union of athletes and equal dignity of humanity. The 5 colors, blue, yellow, black, green, and red, on a white background, represented the flags of the 28 countries that participated in the 4th year, the Stokholm Olympics of 1912. It is said that every country has at least one of the ring colors on their flag, or that these colors, together with white, can be combined to reproduce their flags, even if the shade is altered. But why 5 colors, and not 4, 6, 7, or 8? Per the Olympic Charter, rule 8, "The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. So there you have it! 5 inhabited continents (North and South America counted as one) and colors that can be combined to create all the flags of the world! Now, who wants to check this fact and compare the Olympic rings to flags of all the countries in the world?

The Olympic flame is out and the parisene nights returned its owners. It has been yet another marvellous Games. A show of unity, ideals, equality and global sportsmanship when needed the most. The Olympic Games is a multinational show to essentially remind us that we can compete and show solidarity. At the same time. The winner does not take it all. I was in London at the 2012 Olympics and wrote a column for the Swedish Fencing Federation on the Games being an inspiration for a generation (rather niche and in Swedish). It was fantastic to be there as a spectator then and I am convinced Paris was equally amazing for all. Watching the Paris Olympics on BBC from the UK in 2024 was however more troubling as the extreme right racist riots dominated in parallel. But the communal support in Britain for the attacked groups was staggering, showed in numbers, and after a few days, riots faded. And the racists suddenly looked small and lost. In stark contrast to the Olympians. This should inspire. Maybe it is telling when ”together” needed to be added to the Olympic motto. Meeting the diversity of people, sports, sizes, colours, styles, and personalities being the best antidote to xenophobia and racism in our midst. For us sports fanatics and lovers of all things Olympics - a long wait to Cortina and Los Angeles. But maybe in the meantime, let’s try better, shall we? Stand up. Don’t accept bigoted language or ideas. Don’t compromise your ideals for selfish objectives. Fight the trolls. Make a stand. Show support. Go outside. Don't be afraid. To the next Games. And a shout out to the active and clear voice for equal and democratic rights of Svenska Fäktförbundet - who could have thought in 2012.

If you didn’t know… Dr. Bronner's and the International Olympic Committee – IOC have similar missions!! Their missions are carried out in different ways, but they both want to promote peace and unity between all people. The IOC’s vision is to build a better world through sport. Dr. Bronner’s vision is to make socially and environmentally responsible products of the highest quality and by dedicating our profits to help make a better world. Diving deeper into both visions, they promote how we all are not that different from each other. The IOC’s values: excellence, respect and friendship “Our values help bring out the best in us. We strive for excellence and encourage people to do the best they can. We promote respect in many different ways, respect for yourself, for the rules, for your opponents, for the environment and for the public. We celebrate friendship, which is the hallmark of the Olympic Games. There is more that unites than divides us.” This sounds pretty similar to Dr. Bronner’s mission! Our prayer as a company is “In all we do let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth & all its inhabitants. For we’re All-One or None! All-One!” Our founder, Dr. Emanuel Bronner encouraged people to work hard, learn, grow, and improve, and to realize their unity across religious and ethnic divides. He believed that people must unite or perish which is why he was on a mission to unite the whole human race. Thus, I love watching the Olympics for many reasons… but the main reasons why I love watching these games is that people of all different backgrounds come together, co-exist, watch together, work together, compete against one another, cry together, laugh together, eat together, live together, scream together, chant together, sing together, dance together, etc. It’s possible, we all can do life together in a healthy way. Now like these two organizations, please do what you can to promote peace, unity, and joy in your communities. ALSO, make sure to tune into the Paralympic Games from 8/28 - 9/8 :) #ALLONE 💙

Here are three expert tips for American Olympians (as well as future Olympic-hopefuls) to stay afloat financially.

Here are three expert tips for American Olympians (as well as future Olympic-hopefuls) to stay afloat financially.