INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY TWENTY-THIRD SESSION 6th to 21st JULY 1983 Published by the International Olympic Committee Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland © 1985 INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY REPORT OF THE TWENTY-THIRD SESSION 6th to 21st JULY 1983 ANCIENT OLYMPIA IOC COMMISSION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY President Mr. Mohammed MZALI Prime Minister of Tunisia IOC member in Tunisia Vice-President Professor Nikolaos NISSIOTIS IOC member in Greece Members Mrs. Flor ISAVA FONSECA IOC member in Venezuela Mr. Wlodzimierz RECZEK IOC member in Poland Mr. Giorgio de STEFANI IOC member in Italy Mr. Ahmed D. TOUNY IOC member in Egypt H. E. Mr. Mohamed ZERGUINI IOC member in Algeria Mrs. Monique BERLIOUX Director of the IOC Mr. Francesco GNECCHI-RUSCONE Representative of the IFs President of the International Archery Federation Mr. Marian RENKE Representative of the NOCs Secretary General of the Association of National Olympic Committees 7 EPHORIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY President Professor Nikolaos NISSIOTIS IOC member in Greece Member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Professor of the University of Athens 1st Vice-President Dr. Kleanthis PALEOLOGOS Honorary Director of the National Academy of Physical Education Bronze Medal of the Olympic Order 2nd Vice-President Mr. Vassilis HADZIGIANNIS Member of the HOC President of the Hellenic Football Federation Dean Dr. Otto SZYMICZEK President of the International Track and Field Coaches Association Bronze Medal of the Olympic Order Members Mr. George ANDEADIS Member of the HOC Mr. Athanassios TZARTZANOS Member of the HOC Mr. Nikolaos YALOURIS Director of Antiquities at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Sciences Director Mrs. Sophie CHRISTODOULOU Director of the Museum of Mr. Jacques KARYOTAKIS Modern Olympic Games 8 FOREWORD The activities and accomplishments of the International Olympic Academy during 1983 The fact that there was, as we observed, an increase in the number of functions held in the facilities of the IOA this year, must be considered a natural conse- quence of the International Olympic Academy's great international significance and of the quality and exemplary operation of its facilities on the imposing historic site of ancient Olympia. Further, it is a direct result of the Academy's in- variably well prepared educational programmes, their faithful implementation and the regular presence in Olympia of distinguished contributors and speakers who, by their international authority, their serious treatment of and scientific ap- proach to Olympic themes, assure the position of the IOA as the unique intellec- tual centre of international sport. This year, the IOA indeed appeared to have gained a new lease of life, and, thanks to the activities it organized, it drew the largest attendance to date, made up of visits of organized groups and participants in seminars and assemblies. Of all the aspects of the IOA's rich and varied programme for 1983, special mention should be given to the fact that, this year, many important international sports and physical education organizations came to the Academy's premises to discuss their concerns and to prepare their future work. This means that members of these organizations have the opportunity to be informed about the many-sided tasks of the IOA, to enjoy the comfort of its facilities, to hear lectures on special themes and on the teachings of Olympism, to appreciate the Academy's hard work and to forge intellectual and psychological ties with it, which provide an excellent basis for working together in the future, since, when the visitors depart from Olympia, they do so as devoted followers of our Olympic ideals. I should like to mention some of these indépendant international organiz- ations which, this year, conducted their conference, their meetings and their work at the premises of the IOA, and which concluded their programmes with speeches on Olympic themes, given by guest speakers and members of the IOA staff. - The International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), whose Executive Committee organized a celebratory meeting in Olympia; 9 - The International Federation for Physical Education (IFPE); - The members and officers of the National Olympic Committees and of the International Federations ; - The Physical Education Committee of the European Confederation of YMCA's. A special aspect of this year's intense activities was the 23rd Session of the In- ternational Olympic Academy, which broke all previous attendance records, with 232 participants from 77 National Olympic Committees, and showed the widest ever variety in terms of the specialist fields of the representatives. There were students in further education, teachers, former Olympic champions, of- ficers of various athletics organizations, other members of sports associations and so on. The Session was also honoured by the presence as guests of members of the International Olympic Committee and a wide range of distinguished per- sonalities from the world of sport. There was thus a broad spectrum of par- ticipants, including many groups from within the Olympic family, taking part in the work of the IOA. This, of course, means that the teachings of the IOA reach- ed many who, though involved in sport in some way, had not previously had the opportunity of coming into contact with true Olympic ideas, and had no direct communication with the representatives of the Olympic Movement. This year, as every year, the participants showed a friendly attitude, characteristic of the IOA, and a true spirit of peace and brotherhood prevailed during all the meetings and sessions. There was not the slightest note of discord, be it of a political, social or racial nature. In fact, the true Olympic spirit prevailed throughout this year's work and it was generally realized that this spirit can only be achieved within an atmosphere of calm, tranquility and peace, such as that evoked by the IOA's historic setting. Within a short period of time and in spite of the great problems we faced as a result of differences in character, customs, habits, language, political views and even age, we managed to transform the participants into friendly, cooperative and hard-working groups, in keeping with the beautiful human ideals they had come to learn and eventually serve. It seems that this brotherly Olympic cooperation and understanding were facilitated by the pleasant living conditions in the facilities of the IOA and by the carefully prepared and well-structured programme of work and recreation, the result of 23 years of experience. The arrangement of the programme has been thoroughly tried and tested : tiring work in the assembly hall and in discussion groups is immediately followed by intervals of recreation, games, swimming, films, excursions, tours to archaeological sites, social evenings, etc. In this way, a lot is achieved in a short period of a few days and no one ever leaves feeling tired or dissatisfied. 10 This year, the general subjects of the meetings were Olympic themes from the history of the ancient and modern games, the philosophy of Olympism, and the organization of modern athletics, etc. The special subject was "Olympism in the face of violence and fair play". All aspects of the subject were examined by distinguished speakers and sufficient time was allowed for discussion by the par- ticipants in groups arranged by language, so that every one was able to voice an opinion. The significance of the work which was accomplished is reflected by the conclusions which the various groups submitted to the general assembly. The young men and women worked with enthusiasm and their recorded opinions in- dicate great care, knowledge and seriousness. I should like to make special mention of our contributors, speakers who, in addition to the speeches they delivered, took part in the group discussions and joined in with the young people, offering their assistance and the benefit of their experience. This year, as every year, simultaneous interpretation was used for the dur- ation of the Session. Undoubtedly, this system is very costly, but no assembly is possible without simultaneous interpretation into French, English and Greek, which are the official languages of the IOA. In addition to the simultaneous in- terpretation, copies of all the speeches were made available in all three languages, with the exception of a few speeches which were not submitted by the speakers in time for translations to be made. It is a well-known fact that Olympic Solidarity offers financial assistance to the National Olympic Committees and this was definitely a contributory factor in the increase in the number of representitives of NOCs who participated. Where no financial assistance has been provided, participation was very limited. Strikingly limited, in fact, was the participation in the special session for members and officials of the National Olympic Committees, because no financial support has been offered. It is my considered opinion that the session for members and officials of the National Olympic Committees is of decisive importance, and I would like to suggest that financial assistance be approved for these sessions as well, in order to avoid the situation that arose this year, namely participation of members and officials, Presidents and Secretaries of NOCs in the 23rd Session of the IOA, using the financial assistance offered, while they remained absent from the special session for the NOCs which would have been of more interest to them. I consider it both advisable and necessary to refer to a number of interesting details from each of the sessions held in Olympia this year. 37th Session of the Executive Committee of the International Council for Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) - 30th and 31st May 1983 Thirty distinguished sports and physical education specialists from sixteen different countries participated in this seminar. These included the members of the Executive Committee of the ICSSPE, guest speakers and other guests. 11 The topic of this seminar was "The Olympic idea within the programme of sports in school".