CHENNAI: The Lord of the Rings is back! The Grand Sovereign of all sporting events opens in Paris on July 26, as the world awaits with bated breath and anxious hopes. Countries send their best of the best to compete for those beckoning medals and the deserving best descend on territory that may speak an alien tongue but voices their collective dreams for success. The Olympics, dear Compatriots, is finally here to distract us from gloomy newspaper headlines, even if ever so briefly!
Before you wonder what on earth has art got to do with competitive sports, let it be known that until the middle of the 20th century, art competitions were an integral part of the Olympics. The Ancient Greeks firmly believed that the body and the mind had to be exercised to achieve harmony and hence, art and sports always went hand in hand.
When the Olympics was banned by the Roman Emperor in 393 AD, citing religious reasons and the modern version was reborn, art contests were also added in 1912, with the sole vision of forging a connection between athletes, artists and the spectators. This did not however, happen without any hurdles to be crossed.
When Baron Pierre de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee, he stated his plan thus,- “In the high times of Olympia, the fine arts were combined harmoniously with the Olympic Games to create their glory. This is to become reality once again.” His idea was accepted but could not come to fruition until the 1912 Olympics due to several financial issues arising out of the Vesuvius eruption in 1906.
Medals were to be awarded in the five categories of architecture, music, literature, painting, and sculpture, with only one condition put in place for selection — the artwork had to be dedicated to or inspired by sports. The inaugural art competition at the 1912 Olympics had only 33 artists entering their artworks but the numbers gradually increased over the years until finally, the 1924 Olympics in Paris saw 193 artists submitting their works.
The passage of time ensured that these art contests were taken seriously and by the 1928 Olympics at Amsterdam, nearly 1100 artworks were on display. The winner of the Olympic gold then, for his sculpture of a boxer, was French artist, Paul Landowski, better known for his famous statue, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.
What then, caused the downslide and the ultimate abolition of the Olympic art competitions? It followed a decision taken by the IOC in 1949, that the amateur status of the sports participants should not clash with the professional nature of the contestants of the art competition as many of the artists were already globally acclaimed. Eventually in 1954, these competitions were removed from the Olympics.
The tradition may have died. The artworks that won medals and glory back then may have gone on a long journey into oblivion. Very little photographic evidence remains as proof of an era that ended. With the world functioning on the notion of compartmentalisation, the need to integrate art and sports may seem irrelevant. It is however worthwhile, to know a history that honoured both body and mind.