INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

ARETÉ
Ms Petra HRACHOVINOVA (CZE)
Key words: ARETÉ, the Olympic Games, understanding the
whole, idea, horizon
Introduction: Areté is an idea of the Olympic Games. It is usually
translated as excellence but it is also sometimes related to the harmony
between the cultivation of the mind (επιµέλεια) and the cultivation of
the body (τέχνη).
The basis of the concept ARETÉ is complicated. ARETÉ is the
excellence of the athlete who takes part in the Olympic Games. The
idea of the Olympic Games reflects the origin of the world and the
whole of the world that came into existence from the will of Olympic
gods. When we speak about the whole we primarily mean Ιερόs
Γάµοs. This is the sacred wedding of the Earth and Sky, which is the
foundation of κόσµοs.
This essay is directed towards the whole that does not have a form
or border (είδοs). This is presented on the ground of questioning and
therefore it is approached using Gadamer´s method which suggests
that it is necessary to understand the whole not by means of
description as is common in empirical research, but hermeneutically.
The hermeneutic method consists of understanding everything as
already existing answers to questions, which we have to try to ask.
Questions have to relate to the answers (which are given) ‘like a key
to the lock’. In other words if we want to understand something we
have to conceive the reality around us as a given answer which
appeals to us to ask questions to which we already know the answers.
By finding the right questions the whole becomes apparent. We
have to realize that we cannot consider the whole to be an object
because it has no form and no borders. Only when we experience it,
do we make it a reality and that is the reason why it is often
considered sacred. Right questioning enables presentation and
therefore a game presents the whole of the world. Understanding from
Gadamer´s point of view is based on questions to which we know the
answers in advance. Therefore, it is possible to conceive competing at
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