Thesis. / Bibliography: p. 63-66.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2009.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2009.

Title: Problems of Inter-Religious Dialogue in the Field of Sports Objectives: The primary objective of the thesis is to consider the terms olympism, ethics and fair play from various perspectives and subsequently to trace their global aspiration. The subject of the practical part is the analysis of religious dimension of sport and introduction of reality based problems indicated by athletes in terms of acceptance of the "global" ethical regulations. Another point of the thesis is to determine the attitude of the questionnaire respondents (a group of yogis) to the problematics of supporting the transfer of "western" fair play concept into "eastern" civilization and inquire the subject of possibly existing generally valid ethical values. Methods: Theoretical part of the thesis and the first section of the practical part comprises of the topical recherche based on texts analysis and comparison. Second section of the practical part comprehends informations obtained from questionnaires with open questions that are analysed and interpreted. Answers are provided by 44 respondents who actively perform yoga. Conclusion: In conclusion, the terms olympism, ethics and fair play are reviewed from various perspectives. Analysis of religious dimension of sport together with given examples describes possible...

A Doctoral Thesis Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University

Dès son origine anglaise au XIXe siècle dans les public schools, le sport répondait à des impératifs stratégiques allant du contrôle des populations étudiantes, jusqu'au projet plus vaste de formation d'une élite conquérante. Dans l'importation en France du sport, Pierre de Coubertin posa des objectifs similaires, désirant réformer une société jugée en crise. Le sport, caractérisé par une liberté encadrée et régulée, se heurta dans ce projet à la gymnastique, autre mode de contrôle des populations en vigueur dans les pratiques corporelles, marqué par le disciplinaire. Surtout, tel que pensé par Coubertin, le caractère du sport est fondamentalement ambivalent, étant à la fois aliénant et émancipateur. Cette ambiguïté se cristallise dans la question de l'égalitarisme. En effet, le sport, fondamentalement aristocratique au sens où il ne profite qu'aux forts physiquement, parvient paradoxalement à se présenter comme une pure méritocratie où le rang de chacun serait uniquement dépendant des efforts fournis, produisant ainsi ordre et travail. Cette représentation méritocratique du sport s'est cependant construite tout au long du XXe siècle, répondant à un progressif oubli de son caractère aristocratique. Toutefois, malgré les évolutions des discours, le fait sportif demeure aristocratique, tant physiologiquement que psychologiquement. Des résistances naissent : celles du sport lui-même, qui ne parvient pas à se réduire au seul mérite ; celles des sportifs, qui élaborent des stratégies qualifiées de délictueuses (triche, dopage, etc.) afin de subvertir l'aristocratie sportive. Des corps utiles, des âmes travailleuses et des caractères soumis sont ainsi produits par cette dialectique du mérite. Le sport exemplifie les valeurs du mérite et tâche d'en imposer la logique, en se constituant comme un dispositif se généralisant peu à peu à tous les champs de la société. / From its British beginning in the XIXth century in the public schools, sport was meant for the strategic imperatives of controlling student populations and at a larger scale for training a dominating elite. Pierre de Coubertin has set similar goals when importing sport in France, wanting to reform a society considered in crisis. Sport, characterized by a framed and regulated freedom, faced gymnastics, the established method of population control by body practice, characterized by discipline. Above all, as thought by Coubertin, the sport characteristic is fundamentally ambivalent, being both alienating and emancipating. This ambiguity crystallize itself in the issue of egalitarianism. Sport, fundamentally aristocratic in the sense that it benefits only to physically strong people, paradoxically succeeds to show itself as a pure meritocracy where ranking is solely dependent of the provided efforts, thus producing order and work. This meritocratic representation of sport has built itself throughout the XXth century, gradually replacing its aristocratic characteristic. However, despite the evolutions of speeches, the sporting fact remains aristocratic, both on physiological and psychological sides. Some resistances arise: those of sport itself, which can not reduce itself to the sole merit; those of the sportsmen, who elaborate strategies described as unlawful (cheating, doping, etc.) in order to subvert the sport aristocracy. Useful bodies, hardworking minds, submissive personalities are thus produced by this dialectic of merit. Sport exemplifies the values of merit and try to compel its logic, by constituting itself as an apparatus which gradually extends to all fields of the society.

This thesis deals with the historical development of the concept of the sport at the Olympics. Compares the pros and cons of the professionalization of the sport at the Olympics and analyzes the reasons, why the rules changed. It describes a long way in the development of Olympic sport and focuses on the historical events leading up to the actual professionalization of the sport at the Olympics. Furthermore, the work deals with attitudes that held the leadership of the International and Czech Olympic Committee in relation to professionalization of sport. The last point of my thesis is to think about the consequences of the professionalization of the sport at the Olympics and its commercialization. KEYWORDS Professionalism, amateurism, Olympic Games, the Olympic Charter, P. Coubertin, J. A. Samaranch, Avery Brundage

Coubertin avait souhaité organiser les premiers Jeux de l’ère moderne à Paris en 1900 dans le cadre de l’Exposition universelle ou en relation avec elle. Mais dès janvier 1894, le Commissaire général de cette Exposition universelle, Alfred Picard, a rejeté sa proposition, préférant organiser des concours d’exercices physiques et de sport sous le contrôle du comité d’organisation de l’Exposition, privant ainsi Coubertin des soutiens qui lui auraient permis d'organiser les Jeux olympiques. Il ne restait alors plus au président du CIO qu’à sauver les apparences, afin d’assurer la survie du mouvement olympique naissant. Il y a si bien réussi que le mythe des Jeux olympiques de 1900 perdure jusqu’à nos jours, entretenu, il est vrai, par le CIO lui-même. Cette thèse se propose de démêler le vrai du faux à propos des « Jeux olympiques » de 1900 qui, de fait, n’ont pas eu lieu. / Coubertin wished to organize the first games of the modern era in Paris in 1900, within the framework of, or in connection with, the World Fair. But from January 1894, Alfred Picard, the World Fair General Commissioner, rejected his proposal, rather choosing to organize physical exercises and sport competitions, thus depriving Coubertin of the supports who would have allowed him to organize Olympic Games. Therefore the only solution left for the IOC President was to keep up appearances, in order to ensure the survival of the rising Olympic movement. He made it so well that the myth of the 1900 Olympic Games still goes on, a myth preserved by the IOC itself. The purpose of this thesis is to separate fact from fiction about the so-called 1900 “Olympic Games” which n fact never occurred.