ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) — Just outside the site of the ancient Olympic Games, the hoot of owls breaks the silence of the night, heading toward the white marble monument to the unique French heart.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin was the architect of the modern Olympic Games, overseeing the last Olympics in Paris exactly 100 years ago as president of the International Olympic Committee.
On Tuesday, the torch that will be lit for this summer's Olympics, the third in the French capital, will be lit in an abandoned temple and sports venue in Olympia, southern Greece.
The 5th century BC Temple of Zeus in ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. A nighttime image taken with special permission from the Ministry of Culture in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 9, 2024, under a starry sky. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
and the first destination for the relay, which culminates in the final on July 26 Opening ceremony Torchbearers light the altar at this monument to Coubertin, which is surrounded by cypresses, in honor of Coubertin.
That happens at every lighting ceremony, but this year it will have a special resonance, said Spiros Kapraros, head of the Greek National Olympic Committee.
“Every time we pay homage to Coubertin (monument)… the torch is lit there first,” Capralos told The Associated Press. “And now, 2,800 years after the first Olympic Games, he is delighted that the Olympics are returning to Pierre de Coubertin's hometown of Paris.”
Inspired by ancient games and based on his desire to revitalize modern sporting culture, the efforts of a French aristocrat led to the first modern Games being held in Athens in 1896 .
Coubertin's original seat in the renovated ancient marble stadium in the Greek capital is still preserved, with his name engraved on it.
Before he died in 1937 and was buried in Lausanne, Switzerland, Coubertin left special instructions in his heart. His heart was to be removed and placed in a monument erected in his honor ten years earlier just outside the ruins of ancient Olympia.
The Olympic rings are visible behind the double-sided marble statue known as Hermes in the marble Panathine Stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, in Athens early Friday morning, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
The future King of Greece, Paul, performed the ceremony in March 1938, with a blessing from Greek Orthodox priests dressed in black robes. The grove is now part of the International Olympic Academy, an institute established to promote education on the history and principles of the modern Olympic Games.
Born in 1863, Coubertin was the second IOC president after Demetrios Vikelas of Greece, serving from 1896 to 1925. His tenure also included matches held in Paris in 1900 and 1924.
On a personal level, his life was ruined by a family tragedy, which may explain his single-minded dedication to the Olympics. His son suffered a severe brain injury at an early age, and his daughter suffered from mental health issues throughout her life. Coubertin had no other children, and two close nephews were killed in World War I.
A marble altar decorated with the Olympic rings stands under the night sky at the monument to the heart of French baron Pierre de Coubertin in ancient Olympia on Monday, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
A bronze bust of French baron Pierre de Coubertin stands at the entrance to the Greek Olympic Committee building in Athens, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A seat inscribed with Pierre de Coubertin's name in the marble Panathine Stadium, venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, in Athens, early on Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
Palaestra, the place where wrestlers and athletes trained in the 3rd century BC, is seen under the stars in the birthplace of the Olympic Games, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in a nighttime image created in accordance with a special permit from the Ministry of Culture. You can see it. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, photos of Demetrios Vikelas (left), the first president of the International Olympic Committee, and Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the second president of the IOC, are displayed on a wall inside the Olympic Museum in Athens. There is. (AP) Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Monument with the heart of France's Baron Pierre de Coubertin, seen under the night sky in ancient Olympia, Monday, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
The 3rd century BC stone arch leading to the ancient stadium of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, is visible under a starry sky in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in a nighttime image created in accordance with a special permit from the Ministry of Culture . (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
The monument housing the heart of French Baron Pierre de Coubertin is visible under the night sky in ancient Olympia early Wednesday morning, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
Early on Thursday, April 4, 2024, inside the marble Panathine Stadium in Athens, the venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, a sign in Greek was placed inside the marble Panathine Stadium in Athens, proclaiming Baron Pierre de Coubertin the restorer of the Olympic Games. There is a carved marble signboard. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis)
