South African Olympians and their knowledge of Olympism

Abstract

Olympism is a very complex subject but yet such a profound topic to be knowledgeable on once one has experienced a small portion of it and continues further to become familiar with it as a whole. This is in accordance with the Olympic Charter: “Modern Olympism was conceived by Pierre de Coubertin, on whose initiative the International Athletic Congress of Paris was held in June 1894. The international Olympic Committee (IOC) constituted itself on 23 June 1894. The first Olympic Games (Games of the Olympiad) of modern times were celebrated in Athens, Greece, in 1896. In 1914, The Olympic flag presented by Pierre de Coubertin at the Paris Congress was adopted. It includes the five interlaced rings, which represent the union of five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The first Olympic Winter Games were celebrated in Chamonix, France, in 1924 (IOC, 2017, pg.10). This study examined an important initiative to further tap into the South African Olympians level of or lack thereof knowledge of Olympism, and how Olympism has impacted their everyday sporting lives. This is a qualitative research that will make use of semi-structured interviews with six Olympians of different sporting codes. However findings suggest that not many people in South Africa are familiar with Olympism; one would have to be somewhat directly involved in the Olympic Movement to have an enriched knowledge on Olympism. But it is also evident that even some of the highest calibers of athletes in South Africa are unclear about Olympism. The respective Olympians have heard of Olympism but they are not entirely familiar with it. As final recommendation, more forces within the South African Olympic family should dig deeper in pursuit of Olympism and the Olympic Movement. Those forces being the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and all its major partners involved, to ensure a greater knowledge of Olympism from the Olympians and the entire sporting family in the country.