Forum held to mark 130th anniversary of Olympic Manifesto

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A forum was held here on Friday to mark the 130th anniversary of the speech given by Pierre de Coubertin at the Sorbonne University in Paris, known as the Olympic Manifesto.

The First Tiantan Forum on Dialogue Between Civilizations and Forum on World Civilizations and Olympics, jointly organized by the Capital Civilizational Development Foundation, Civilization Magazine and the Beijing News, centered around the topic of the Olympics and Common Values of Humanity.

In his congratulatory letter to the forum, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach underscored the mission of the Olympic Movement is "to put sport at the service of the peaceful development of humankind".

"When Pierre de Coubertin, at the age of 29 years, outlined his vision for restoring the Olympic Games on 25 November 1892 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, he laid the philosophical foundation for the International Olympic Committee, which he established two years later.

"The seminal speech by this young, visionary Frenchman can be considered the founding moment of the Olympic Movement. In this historic speech manuscript, known as the Olympic Manifesto, the mission of the Olympic Movement to put sport at the service of the peaceful development of humankind was already clear. 130 years later, his vision of making the world a better and more peaceful place through sport lives on," wrote Bach.

For Bach, the Olympic Games is the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition.

"At the Olympic Games, the best athletes of the world are competitors in sport, but at the same time, they are living peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. The athletes show the world that we can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger if we stand together. The word 'Together' tells us: we need more solidarity. More solidarity within societies and more solidarity among peoples and nations. Because there is no peace without solidarity," he wrote.

More than 20 honored guests, including France's Ambassador to China Laurent Bili and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Honorary Life Vice-President Wei Jizhong, delivered speeches on various topics and further conducted dialogues and discussions during the forum.

"I am sure that Pierre de Coubertin would be delighted to know that his universal message of peace and solidarity is even more relevant than ever in today's world, 130 years after his Olympic Manifesto speech," the IOC chief concluded in his congratulatory letter.

Organizers plan to hold the forum biennially in the Summer and Winter Olympic years, with the forum to be slated on either the Olympic Day of June 23 or November 25 when the Olympic Manifesto speech is given.