Paradox. This Monday, June 23, marks, like every year, the celebration across the planet of Olympic Day. Olympic day, for English speakers. Its date does not change from one year to the next. It coincides with the anniversary of the creation by Pierre de Coubertin of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894. The event took place in the heart of Paris. One hundred and twenty years later, Olympic Day goes very unnoticed in the country of the mustachioed baron. Conversely, it is massively celebrated in the United States, and more widely on the American continent.
Twenty years ago, the day of June 23 was most often the occasion for a friendly run with no other motivation than to “stay active”. One day of the year when the world's population was called upon to put on their sneakers and cover a few kilometers in short strides. Today, the event has grown in size. It sometimes extends over the entire month of June. And wants to be the embodiment of the values that sport conveys.
In this game, America leads the way. As proof, a document published on the official IOC website (www.olympic.org), where Olympic Day occupies the first place on the home page. The ringed institution offers a world map where the events, activities and demonstrations organized by the different countries as part of Olympic Day are listed. The result is spectacular (http://www.olympic.org/olympic-day). In the United States, there are not hundreds of them. In France, and more broadly in Western Europe, they are non-existent.
In detail, the contrast is even more striking. The American Olympic Committee (USOC) website devotes a long article to “Olympic Day”. We discover that more than a thousand events are organized across the country to celebrate the day. A table shows the growth: 330 events in 2010, 632 in 2012, 1055 this year. According to the USOC, no less than 488 Olympic athletes, current or former, participate in these various initiatives, including former diver Greg Louganis and gymnast Gabby Douglas. At the head of the procession, the American Cycling Federation, instigator of 265 events dedicated to BMX across the country.
In France, home of Pierre de Coubertin, not a word on institutional sites, not a line in the sports press. Olympic day is not one of them. Damage. At a time when a vast opportunity study has been launched on the possible candidacy of Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, it would have been welcome.
