CHAPTER ONE
If everyone in the world were an athlete，
we would have a much better chance
for peace. We would break records--
not each other s heads.\"
--VASILY KUZ~I]~TSOV
Honored Master of Sport of the U.S.S.R.
The Spirit
of the Olympics
He is a Greek shepherd with a passion for prayer. He is an
American Indian with a thirst for firewater. He is a Czech
soldier with a tortured look. He is Chinese and Russian， fat
and thin， tall and short， handsome and ugly， intellectual and
stupid. He is all ages， all nationalities， all races， and all
religions. He is an Olympian.
Every four years， in some major city of the world， thousands
of Olympians gather for athletic competition. Only a select
few emerge as heroes. But almost all emerge with new ap-
preciation and respect for people whose backgrounds contrast
drastically with their own.
It has become a clich~ to say that the Olympics generate
international goodwill. Yet this clich6， like most， has a hard
core of truth. There is something about competition on the
athletic field， something about physical combat， that inevi-
tably draws the competitors， the combatants， closer together.
One athlete may admire another or even worship him， fear him
or even hate him， but he cannot simply dismiss him. Empathy
is unavoidable， and empathy， in time， leads to understanding.
Understanding has been the keynot~ to the Olympic spirit
ever since the ancient festival was revi~d in Athens in i896.
\"My most lasting memory，\" Ellery Cla~k， who represented the
United States in the first modern Olympics， recalled several
years later， \"is the fine spirit which underlay the games， the
bringing together of the nations of the world on a common
footing--the true ideal， in a realm of sport， of the brother-
hood of man.\"
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