Olympic Philosophy

What gives the Olympic Games their structure is a body of thought. The Olympic Charter names that thinking Olympism and sets out its aims in broad terms: the balanced growth of the individual and a peaceful community that protects human dignity. Olympism draws on the same ancient Greek sources that gave rise to the Games themselves.

These essays trace the Hellenic origins of Olympic philosophy and show how those ideas apply to sport today. They look at the intellectual history of the Games, the moral commitments built into Olympic sport, and what sport can teach. Other chapters take up justice and fair play, the political hopes for peace and a shared world community, and the challenge of living with many cultures, through a comparison of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions.

For anyone who cares deeply about sport, the Games already feel distinctive. This book argues that Olympic philosophy accounts for that feeling and sets out to explain why.