Ancient Olympia, 3 August 2026

The International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (IPCC) has been actively participating in the International Volunteer Games of New Acropolis. The event officially opened on 3 August and will conclude with the Closing Ceremony on 9 August. It is being held at the International Olympic Academy (IOA) in Olympia, Greece.

Professor Stephan Wassong, President of the IPCC, Professor Konstantinos (Kostas) Georgiadis, IPCC Board Member and Honorary Dean of the International Olympic Academy (IOA), and Professor Nelson Todt, Vice-President of the IPCC, attended the opening days of the Games and expressed their great appreciation for the excellent organization of the event. Professor Todt will remain throughout the Games in his capacity as one of the principal organisers.

At the official Opening Ceremony, Professor Kostas Georgiadis and Professor Stephan Wassong welcomed the participants with warm words of greeting. In his address, Professor Wassong highlighted the exemplary commitment of the New Acropolis School of Philosophy to voluntary service through the organisation of its events and its numerous educational, cultural, and social initiatives. He emphasized that the International Volunteer Games are themselves a tangible expression of this commitment to serving the community and educating citizens guided by ethical and humanistic values. In this respect, the Games successfully build bridges between Olympism and volunteerism.

During the programme, the three IPCC representatives participated in a panel discussion devoted to the contemporary relevance of Pierre de Coubertin’s legacy and the challenges facing Olympism in the twenty-first century. In an open dialogue, Stephan Wassong, Kostas Georgiadis, and Nelson Todt reflected on the role of the International Olympic Academy and the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee in preserving and promoting Coubertin’s educational vision. They also discussed the contribution of Olympic education to ethical formation, the promotion of human values, and the development of a culture of peace through sport.

The panel brought together approximately 800 members of the New Acropolis School of Sport from 28 countries, providing a unique platform for international dialogue on education, ethics, philosophy, and the values of Olympism. The active participation of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee in Olympia once again reaffirmed its commitment to preserving and promoting Pierre de Coubertin’s educational legacy while strengthening international initiatives dedicated to the integral development of the human person.

From the left : Konstantinos Georgiadis, Stephan Wassong and Nelson Todt