INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES WITHIN
CHINESE TAIPEI OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
Mr Steven S. K. CHEN (TPE)
Culture, one of the major pillars other than sport, plays an integral
and important part in Olympism and the Olympic Games since ancient
time. Culture connotes the social civilization and the development of
people’s minds, forming the belief, way of life and art of a society.
“Sport brings art to light and enables it to make itself known. It
engenders beauty, since it displays the athlete, who is a living
sculpture. Because of the monuments which it erects and the
spectacles and festivals which it organizes, sport enables art to make
itself known.” These words of Baron Pierre de Courbertin underline
the cultural and aesthetic aspects of Olympism that enriches the sport
with humanity and harmony beyond fierce competition.
Recognizing the importance of cultural aspects in light of
developing and promoting Olympism and Olympic Movement instead
of just through sport, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
initiated its cultural activities several years ago in tune with the policy
of International Olympic Committee by not only actively taking part
in the art and sport contest, but also celebrating the Olympic Day with
solemnity through cultural expressions. Hereunder are the cultural
activities that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has been doing
since then:
Celebration of Olympic Day
The celebration of Olympic Day is one of the annually major
events within the Olympic Movement other than Olympic Day Run.
To project the cultural and artistic aspect with sport in Olympism, the
CTOC celebrates the Olympic Day in concert since 2001 by inviting
the string quartet either from junior high school or academy of the arts
to play the Olympic anthem and folk songs, illustrating the solemnity
and joy of the feast and the harmonization of the Olympic culture and
local cultural aspects. The concert for the Olympic Day Celebration
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