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The French baron who revived the Olympics believed they were more than sport – they were a religion of perfection and peace

  • Written by Jeffrey Scholes, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
imageAthletes line up for a 100-meter race at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, always envisioned the Games as much more than the sum of their parts. “Olympism,” as he coined it, was a new type of religion – one shorn of gods, yet...

Read more: The French baron who revived the Olympics believed they were more than sport – they were a...

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