Nationalism and Olympism: Towards a Normative Theory of International Sporting Representation‪.‬

If love is blind, patriotism has lost all five senses.' (1) The concept of Olympism is best thought of as a philosophy of life based on the practice of sport and physical competition. Baron Pierre de Coubertin defined it as an attempt to group in a glorious synthesis all the characteristic principles which contribute to the development of human perfection. (7) Although this definition does not specify directly which principles are synthesised the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Olympic Charter does outline fundamental principles of the organisation, which shed light on the philosophy of Olympism. According to the IOC charter, Olympism is a movement which aims to blend sport with culture and education whilst seeking to create a way of life based on the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. Its goal therefore is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to prompting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. (8) In light of this brief outline of Olympism, it is easy to see why many believe that a sporting movement underpinned by Olympism, is not coherent with nationalism. This understanding is based on the premise that nationalism is immoral, and its concomitant effects, when combined with sporting competition, brings to the fore an immorality.