Building Bridges Between Olympism and Volunteerism

Professor Stephan Wassong, Director of the Olympic Studies Centre at the German Sport University Cologne and President of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (IPCC), attended the opening days of the International Volunteer Games of New Acropolis. The Games began on 3 August and finished with a closing ceremony on 9 August at the International Olympic Academy (IOA) in Olympia, Greece.

At the official opening ceremony, Professor Wassong, and Professor Konstantinos (Kostas) Georgiadis, IPCC Board Member and Honorary Dean of the IOA welcomed the participants.

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.

The programme also featured 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, Professor Wassong, Professor Georgiadis, and Professor Nelson Todt, Vice-President of the IPCC, reflected on the roles 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 development, 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.

Professor Wassong’s participation underlined the close relationship between the academic work of the Olympic Studies Centre and international initiatives dedicated to Olympic education. It also reaffirmed the shared commitment to preserving and developing Pierre de Coubertin’s educational legacy and promoting the humanistic values of Olympism.