Since the last edition we have received a tremendous response with many compliments, which above all I would like to pass on to the authors of the articles. Some comments can be read in the “Letters to the Editor” section. This praise is without doubt strong motivation to continue to develop in the Journal in the same direction, especially as our approach was endorsed by the meeting of the ISOH Executive Committee in Barcelona which took place in June.
Meantime the first European Games in Baku have come to an end. As Patrick Hickey, the President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), emphasised in his opening address, the “fifth ring,” missing from regional games until now, has been added.
Philip Barker has used this event to briefly survey the genesis of regional games, against which there was initial resistance within the IOC. Furthermore he examines the reasons why we had to wait so long for the European premiere.
Among the most important intercontinental games are the Mediterranean Games, introduced 62 years ago, which took place in Barcelona in 1955. They are documented in the Olympic Museum on Montjuïc hill adjacent to stadium. The Executive Committee took the chance to visit the exhibition. We were accompanied by Alberto Aragón Pérez of the Olympic Studies Centre, a knowledgable guide and a perhaps known to you as a contributor to our Journal. His latest offering is a fascinating look at the special relationship of Royal houses with the Olympic Games – from ancient times to the present today.
In This Issue:
“Royalty and the Olympic Games”
by Alberto Aragón Pérez
Another young author Thomas Smith, has also taken the opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge. His case study “The End of Détente” looks at the Olympic Games of Moscow 1980 from a British viewpoint.
Three authors from Israel – Felix Lebed, Ofer Muchtar, and Yair Galily – try to uncover the secret of why black athletes are so successful at Olympic Games. And Bernhard Kramer and Richard Stanton examine the poem “Olympic Laurel,” for which the Polish writer Kazimierz Wierzyński was awarded gold in 1928 at the artistic competitions in Amsterdam.
This was a much greater reward than that received by the young German poet Robert Lubahn for the text of the “Olympic Hymn,” set to music by Richard Strauss. This was recognised as “official” by the IOC in 1936. In writing this article I discovered that Lubahn refused to authorise the lyrics which were “modified” at the behest of Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels, although he was unable to hold up the march of history.
What else does this issue offer? There’s a visit to the French Museum of Sport worth knowing about for Olympic collectors. We have part 18 of the biographies of IOC members, obituaries of deceased Olympians and as usual, new publications on the Olympic book market.
In conclusion a further request: for future editions of the Journal there is still some space. I would be pleased to receive new offers. However articles should not exceed 6000 words. Details can be found in our editorial guidelines which can be downloaded on the new ISOH website. Please do not be deterred by the language barrier. We will do as much as possible to help with translation into English. Our decisive factor in editorial selection is always the importance and interest of the subject.
– Volker Kluge, Editor
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