On the eve of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, Paris (France) hosted the “Journées européennes du patrimoine à la découverte de la Sorbonne Olympique”. From September 17th – 18th, 2023, EOA Vice-President Prof. Dr. M. Bulatova visited the events and took part in the celebrations.
During the events, the experts got acquainted with the history of the creation of the University and its role in the formation of the International Olympic Committee and visited the auditoriums and amphitheatres of the Sorbonne, where the documents on the establishment of the IOC were signed and the 1st International Athletics Congress was held.
Within the program of the event Diane de Navacel de Coubertin, the great-niece of Pierre de Coubertin, presented a lecture and shared documents from the personal archives of the de Coubertin family. The audience gained an insight from details of Pierre de Coubertin’s life as well as his role in the foundation of the International Olympic Committee to the revival of the Olympic Games. Professor Filippe Pimenta de Sousa led a tour of the Sorbonne’s premises including the Grand Library.
For a group of invited experts, there were presented the two lectures “Sports Games in Olympic History” in Salle du Jeu de Paume and “Sport history of the Tuileries Gardens” by Emmanuel Héran, Chief Curator of the Louvre and responsible for the heritage of gardens in Tuileries.
The historical material collected during the business trip enriched the idea of the atmosphere and realities of the formation of the International Olympic Committee, expanded knowledge about the personality and details of the professional activity of the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, which will significantly improve the quality of the educational process in general secondary and higher education institutions and the educational work with athletes of various levels of commitment and experience.
Visiting sports facilities and the use of park culture in the development of Sports for All confirmed the need to use parks and open areas for physical education of the younger generation.
