OLYMPIC REVIEW65

Member in Hungary, suggested that the magazineshould be renamed Olympic Review. Although this proposal was passed, there were nofurther magazines until 1901, when, following theOlympic Games of that year in Paris, four issues were published - in January, April, July and October.Most of the articles were in French but others were inEnglish, German, Italian and Dutch. However, until1906, the magazine came out irregularly. ThenCoubertin himself took over as director and chiefwriter, bringing about a remarkable transformation asthe Reviewcame out every month until July 1914 -the month before the First World War broke out. Thefront page consisted of a reproduction of an allegoricpainting, highlighting the revival of the Olympic Games,which had been done by Charles de Coubertin, adistinguished artist and the father of Pierre. The Olympic publication was only issuedsporadically during the two World Wars but saw arevival in September 1946 with Otto Mayer becomingthe editor. Then IOC President J. Sigfrid Edströmstated that year: "Every effort must be made to givepublicity to the Olympic Movement. I express thehope that this new publication will be moresuccessful than the previous three ones and willspread useful thoughts and ideas through the world.The Olympic flame must burn again with full forceand enlighten the souls of humanity." Noble thoughts indeed and this time publication,initially in English and French and under differentnames, continued without a break until 1970, whenthe name reverted to the Revue Olympiquein Frenchand its equivalents in English and Spanish.Over the next 41 years, the magazine grewsteadily in influence and circulation, noting everysignificant moment in the development of theOlympic Movement and gradually evolving in itsappearance and scope.What has marked the Reviewhas been theinsistence that, although it has changed in look andcontent, it has remained faithful to the original visionof Pierre de Coubertin of the benefits that theOlympic Games can bring to mankind. With the reachof the media growing so extensively in recent years,particularly over the last decade, the Reviewhas therole of informing the public about the views andactivities of the IOC and all its partners in the OlympicMovement. It therefore has a unique voice in theworld of mass communications. ?66OLYMPIC REVIEWOLYMPIC REVIEW HISTORYfrom the Association of Parisian Journalists andregarded the profession as one of importance, stating: "I consider the mission [of a journalist] as one of thehighest which civilisation's progress has invested [in] humanity."Coubertin considered communication of the viewsof the IOC to be of prime significance. After all, hemay have been a visionary but Coubertin alsorecognised the need to influence people about thevalues associated with reviving the Olympic Games.He realised that unless this was achieved, his effortsmight be in vain. The official IOC publicationstherefore played a significant role as the OlympicMovement grew into adulthood. In July 1894, a few weeks after the internationalconference at the Sorbonne which voted to revive theOlympic Games, the Bulletin du Comité Internationalwas published with its main heading being JeuxOlympiques, and its celebrated motto in Latin,"Citius-Altius-Fortius", underneath. The magazine,the forerunner of the Olympic Review, explained whythe Olympic Games should be revived and also whythey should be held in Athens, pointing to the factthat it was the capital of the country where theAncient Olympic Games were staged.The 1894 Bulletinalso announced that it wouldcommunicate the work in reviving the OlympicGames and be published every three months -something that it has always attempted, not alwayssuccessfully, to do. Reasons for the interruptions inpublication have included two World Wars. Originally the Bulletinwas only published inFrench, regretting that it was not able, as had beenhoped, to be printed in three different languages butpointing out that arrangements had been made withnewspapers in England and the United States, as well as the German publication Spiel und Sport, toreproduce principal parts of the French publication inthose other languages. It was also announced that a subscription of 10 francs a year would ensure theindividual would receive all IOC publications. Copiesof that original Bulletinand subsequent editions areretained in Lausanne.By the end of 1895, three further editions had been published in French. Then, in 1896, at the periodimmediately preceding and during the first ModernOlympic Games, the Bulletincame out as a supplementto Le Messager d'Athènes. Nine editions are inexistence. The following year, at the 3rd IOC Session inthe French port of Le Havre, Ferenc Kemeny, the IOCBelow Pierre de Coubertin(seated, left) tookover as directorand chief writer in 1906, when themagazine waspublished monthlyuntil July 1914'ALTHOUGH IT HAS CHANGEDIN LOOK AND CONTENT,OLYMPIC REVIEW HASREMAINED FAITHFUL TO THE ORIGINAL VISION OFPIERRE DE COUBERTIN OFTHE BENEFITS THAT THEOLYMPIC GAMES CAN BRING TO MANKIND'