Things Worth Remembering: The Frenchman Who Dreamed Up the Olympics

Welcome to Douglas Murray’s column Things Worth Remembering, in which he presents great speeches from famous orators we should commit to heart. To listen to Douglas read from Pierre de Coubertin’s 1892 speech, which birthed the modern Olympic Games, scroll to the end of this piece.

At 7:30 p.m. local time, on Friday, a flotilla of boats set off down the River Seine, gliding through the heart of Paris. The moment marked the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games.

President Emmanuel Macron planned for much of the Games to take place in the center of the French capital, rather than in a distant stadium—to show off a city that isn’t difficult to show off. He hoped to preside over the whole thing, and bask in its reflected glory—like a modern-day Sun King. The decision now appears to be one of hubris—in three specific ways.

First, it has been impossible to get around Paris for months, and will be between now and September, when the Paralympics finish. 

Second, it is not a good moment for the eyes of the world to be on France. Earlier this year, Macron responded to his party’s drubbing in the EU elections by announcing a snap parliamentary election; in a fit of pique, he seems to have dared the French public: “Either back my party or see what happens.” The public rebelled. After the populist right of Marine Le Pen triumphed in the first round of voting, parties of the center-right, center, left, and far-left all united to keep her party, National Rally, from winning. The coalition succeeded, but the result has been unimaginable political chaos—which reflects a deeper uncertainty about what France is supposed to be. 

Finally, there is the hubris of throwing one of the world’s largest spectacles in a country that has, in recent years, been a target for terrorists of all stripes. There are people in Paris who want to humiliate France at what should be its moment of triumph. On Friday, just ahead of the opening ceremony, there was a “premeditated” arson attack on Paris’s rail network. It’s unclear who was responsible. Fortunately, no one was hurt—but a sense of foreboding sank over the city. 

It is hard to forget that several plots to attack the Paris Games have been uncovered in recent months. Pro-ISIS outfits have shared pictures of the Eiffel Tower burning and encouraged “lone wolves” to attack the Games. It is particularly hard for Israeli athletes—who have been threatened with a “repeat” of the Munich Olympics of 1972, when 11 members of their team were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.

Now, with the Olympic spirit flagging, is a good moment to remind ourselves of what the Games ought to be—to remind ourselves of where the modern Olympics started. It started with a speech.