How Did Pierre De Coubertin Affect The Olympics

Pierre de Coubertin literally gave his heart to the Olympic Games. Having founded the modern Olympic Games in 1896, Coubertin’s heart is now found in a marble monument in Olympia, Greece. This symbolic action has left the world with a piece of Coubertin’s intentions to revive the Olympic Games as a way to bring “the youth of the world in friendly competition”. Coubertin created the concept of Olympics with a doctrine of universalism, intending to highlight everything positive about humanity, fair play, competition and discipline. Unfortunately, Coubertin did not anticipate the danger of nationalism and the effects of political problems in the Olympic Games. Throughout the twentieth century, the Olympic Games were greatly affected by the
It also became a battlefield, where the United States competed against a powerful ideological government known for their strong political and racial beliefs. Ever since Hitler rose to power, there had been racial discrimination against Germans of Jewish descent. Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, quickly controlling all aspects of German life and creating an anti-Semitic movement. Hosting the Olympics allowed Hitler and the Nazi party to promote an image of a strong and united Germany, using the sporting event for propaganda purposes and thus, covering up the current situation with the discrimination and targeting of Jews. Before accepting to partake in the Olympics, the American Olympic Committee had a hard time deciding whether or not to participate in the Olympic Games. For the United States, being part of the 1936 Olympics would imply agreeing with the German actions against the Jews and accepting a violation of human rights. For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, boycotting the Olympics became an option for nations who did not agree with the political situation and the ideology represented by the host
The boycott revolved around Germany’s violation of the principles of the Olympic protocol, which “bars discrimination because of race, creed or color.” Athletes, politicians and American Olympic Committee (A.O.C) members had different opinions on whether or not to boycott the 1936 Olympics. Even though some viewed it as a way to take a stance against the current situation in Germany, others viewed the boycott as an extreme action. Some American athletes were unaware of the boycott movement, others, such as Eleanor Holm or Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, had strong attitudes and rejected the idea of the boycott. In September 1935 Holm stated “Of course, the United States should not withdraw from the 1936 Olympics. Why should I, or any other athlete, be penalized for the actions of Joe Zilch, or anybody else named Hitler who has nothing whatsoever to do with us?” Holm’s reaction to the boycott was different from the two Jewish sprinters on the American track team, Glickman and Stoller, who decided to go to Germany with the intention to “disprove the myth of Aryan