We remember Pierre de Coubertin’s retirement from the role of president at the 24th IOC Session on 26 May 1925, and the VIII Olympic Congress.

One hundred years ago today, Pierre de Coubertin opened the 24th IOC Session in Prague. This was to be his last session as IOC president. Despite the wishes of IOC members, Coubertin was determined to retire after 29 years as president. His farewell letter to IOC members ends with the following message: ‘You can look forward to the future with complete assurance. The worldwide institution that we have built is ready to meet any and all challenges’, (July 1925, Lausanne).

A few days later, the VIII Olympic Congress followed the IOC Session. The Congress was divided into  the Educational and the Technical Congresses. The Educational Congress covered topics that were important to Coubertin, such as young people and women in sport, the promotion of fair play and chivalry, sports therapy, cooperation with universities and the revival of the ‘ancient gymnasium’.  The aim of the gymnasium was to make various sports free and accessible to all citizens. He was determined to dedicate the rest of his life to educational philosophy. In his opinion, the future of civilization depended entirely on the educational approach adopted and the moral value of sport.

In his final speech, Coubertin underlined his position on the Olympic Games: ‘The Olympic Games are not the property of any country or of any particular race, they cannot be monopolized by any group whatsoever. They are global. All people must be allowed in, without debate, just as all sports must be treated on equal footing without concern for the fluctuations or caprices of public opinion’.