Olympism as a civil religion? Application of a theory to the thinking of pierre de coubertin and the selected opening ceremonies

Introduction

Terms like pseudo-religion, quasi-religion or ersatz-religion in the past often have served as attributes to describe the implications of the idea of Olympism. The question arises whether the concept of "civil religion" (henceforth abbr. "c.r.") does not better represent the Olympic idea than the aforesaid examples.

Methods

Due to the fact that the controversial term "civil religion" has often been defined in many different ways, this study is not based on one specific definition, but rather on four different conceptions which have proven essential within the discussion about "c.r.". With the help of these four conceptions the thinking of Coubertin (by means of an analysis of his fundamental writings and speeches) as well as Olympic opening ceremonies (video studies) have been searched for typical civil religious elements.
Results

The vast majority of the characteristic features of a c.r. correspond with the idea of Olympism. 3 of the 5 feature categories into which a c.r. has been divided in this study, namely Identification, Integration, and Guiding Values, can be claimed as valid for Olympism without any considerable reservation. The 4th feature category, which comprises the effects of such a c.r. on society, also at least carries the potential of being in accordance with Olympism but has to be furnished with some reductions. The crucial issue of these considerations, however, is to be found in the last category, the question of the reference of the c.r. to constituted religions and especially to God. At this point there are striking differences in the conceptions under discussion, for two of them require the existence of God as a central symbol of the c.r. as a conditio sine qua non. Since Coubertin was on the one side a pious man but God on the other side does not in fact play an immediate role within his Olympism, this is where the question of whether the Olympic Idea can be regarded as a c.r. or not is answered.

Discussion / Conclusion

The results give enough reason for speaking of Olympism as a c.r.. This, however, strongly depends on the particular definitory approach. Moreover, another distinction has to be made concerning the orientation of a potential civil religion "Olympism": The point is whether such a c.r. would show a more national or international character. It is beyond question that the Olympic Games may serve to demonstrate the c.r. of the host country, which could easily be observed in the past years. The crucial question would rather be whether Olympism under the banner of the Olympic Rings is able to take on the function of an international identification and integration, so to speak as a smallest common denominator of the otherwise rather differing world cultures and values.