Civilization Magazine proposes making Nov. 25 'Olympic Culture Day'

The Civilization Magazine of China sponsored a proposal on Saturday to declare November 25 as "Olympic Culture Day" in commemoration of the 160th birthday of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

On November 25, 1892, 29-year-old Coubertin, the co-founder and second president of today’s International Olympic Committee (IOC), presented his visionary idea to revive the Olympic Games in the modern world at the old Sorbonne in Paris during the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (Union of French Athletic Sports Societies).

This speech has been known as "the Olympic Manifesto" since then. The historic 14-page manuscript was donated to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, in October 2020.

Less than two years after Coubertin's speech, the IOC was founded on June 23, 1894, in Paris. In another two years, the first edition of the Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece, on April 6, 1896.

On January 1, 2008, Civilization Magazine published the text of Coubertin's speech in three languages: Chinese, English and French in its special issue as part of its efforts to promote the development of the Olympic Movement.

Beijing, having hosted the Summer Games in 2008 and the Winter Games in 2022, became the world's first "Dual Olympic City." "Today, together with Paris, Athens, and other host countries and cities, Beijing takes the Olympic Manifesto and 'Olympic Manifesto – the Beautiful Olympic Cultural Scroll' as the bridge and proposes to all members of the Olympic Family to designate November 25th as 'Olympic Culture Day'," Civilization Magazine wrote on Saturday.

By designating the Olympic Culture Day, Civilization Magazine aims to open up the "Olympic Culture Path" based on modern life conditions. It illustrates how modern sports culture can contribute to a better world, encourages people worldwide, especially the youth, regardless of their differences, to celebrate the values of Olympism and sporting ideals. The magazine seeks to disseminate modern Olympic culture, bring to life the dreams and inspiration in the hearts of young people globally, and create hope for a more peaceful world. This initiative also aims to spread shared values of mankind and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind through sports.