The selection of the city of Athens to host the 2004 Olympic Games marks the return of the most important and ancient sporting event to the cradle of its origins, almost 2,800 years since the first recorded competition at Olympia.

The eurhythmic man

The figure of the Olympic athlete was considered the culmination of the classic concept of man. To tackle the most important competition in the best condition required constant physical exercise, strong mental discipline for concentration and the adoption of a regulated lifestyle. For the first time in the history of western civilisation, the Greeks theorised the importance of taking care of the mind as much as the body in the pursuit of perfection and vital wellbeing. To define this state, they spoke of eurhythmia, the harmonious balance between the two main components of the body. The idea of Wellness was born.

In their treatises, philosophers conferred dignity to physical activity, underlining its value in forging a healthy, athletically-agile and harmonious body, endowed with dexterity. In his 'Politics', Aristotle stated his conviction that "physical education is the science that examines which kind of training is beneficial to most and, if possible, to all men, since the main purpose of education is to train the many and not only those gifted and talented by nature". Plato on the other hand called for respect for equilibrium, given that pure athleticism would make man "uncouth, coarse, cruel and violent".

The principle of 'sport for everyone', or of athletic training for all individuals, initially practiced by the ancient Greeks, turned gymnasiums into institutions essential for a city that truly aspired to defining itself as such. And in respect of the eurhythmia principle, the very places where youths and adults played sport were theatres of education in noble arts, including poetry, arithmetic, dancing and music.

Attention to lifestyle for the overall wellbeing of the individual was reflected in some famous declarations by doctors and poets, and not only in Hellas. While the Greek doctor Galen of Pergamum (2^nd Century AD) recommended "breath fresh air, eat proper foods, get adequate sleep, have regular bowel movements and control your emotions", the Latin poet Juvenal was the author of the famous maxim 'Mens sana in corpore sano' to highlight the intimate correlation between the physical and spiritual dimensions.

Olympic rebirth

The end of the ancient Games led to the demise of the Olympic ideals for some 1,500 years, until Pierre de Coubertin staunchly proposed their revival at the Paris Congress in 1894, an event that led to the creation of the first International Olympic Committee (IOC). The proposal to organise the Games in Athens in 1896, formulated together with the Greek Dimitrios Vikelas, was thus accepted.

The interpretation given by the French Baron exalted the value of sport as a means of physical-spiritual education and individual wellbeing, "a path for strength and physical energy", reasserting the principle of eurhythmia, by which the happiness deriving from intense bodily exercise is the result of the cooperation between the physical and the mental component. He saw sports disciplines as a 'gymnasium' for learning to tackle the challenges of existence, leading him to pronounce his renowned principle, "the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle; not to have conquered, but to have fought well".

The Olympic spirit today

Though having a long history behind it, the principle of Olympism was only included in the Olympic Charter by the IOC in 1991. Olympism is defined as "a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles".

In a global context marked by uncertainty and tension, the adhesion to the ideals enshrined in the Olympic Charter by 200 participant nations casts a ray of hope. The return to the origins of the Olympic spirit and the principles of the eurhythmic man (though today we would say Wellness) can certainly help us rediscover authentic values that will make us healthier, happier people - in a word, better.