Students mark 160th birthday of Pierre de Coubertin in Beijing

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 400 students from 15 countries and regions participated in a mini-marathon run and classics recitation in Beijing on Saturday to mark the 160th birthday of Pierre de Coubertin, the French educator who revived the Olympic Games in 1894.

The event, hosted by the Capital Civilizational Development Foundation and the Civilization Magazine, was held at Beijing's Huiwen Middle School, where China's first Olympian, sprinter Liu Changchun, used to train.

Joining the activities were several athletes including world gymnastics champion Liu Yang.

Despite the cold weather, which brought some snow in the morning, the students started by running a mini-marathon on campus. Then, they recited "Ode to Sport" and the "Olympic Manifesto" in three languages - Chinese Mandarin, English, and French.

Lou Xiaoqi, founder of the Civilization Magazine, noted that Saturday was special also because, on November 25, 1892, Coubertin delivered a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the Olympic Manifesto.

"By hosting such activities, we would like to inspire the younger generation with the eternal Olympic spirit," he said.

Li Fa, director of the student activity center of Huiwen and head of the school's sports teaching group, saw the activities as "meaningful" to students.

"Sports could hone the students' willpower against difficulties and enhance their team spirit, from which they could benefit for the rest of their lives," he told Xinhua.