Avery Brundage on the Draw of the Olympic Movement

Just why has the Olympic Movement gained this important position? It is because the Games are far more than merely another sport festival. They are a social manifestation of the first order. In the Olympic Village here in Tokyo, ready for two weeks of strenuous competition in a score of different sports, are selected contestants from every continent. Ignoring superficial racial, religious and political differences, they are united in a desire for friendly competition, judged solely on merit. The tenets of the Olympic Movement appeal because they include the basic aspirations of all men. Black and white, infidel and believer, radical and conservative are here, all respecting the same Olympic code of fair play and good sportsmanship. In the long history of mankind, nothing like this has ever happened before. This is something to be observed carefully by every politician, every sociologist and by every educator. The great lessons of the Olympic Movement are here for all to see.