INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

first decade passed, but was always a somewhat incongruous mixture
of the classical Olympiad and Victorian notions of 'Merrie England', a
past golden age of rustic simplicity" (Mullins 1986: 13). After ten
years of existence the Games tended to resemble more the Ancient
Olympic Games - the winners were given laurel crowns, there were
banners with Greek lines and representations of Greek gods; in
addition the scope of the games was widened - it began to include
poetry and essay writing competitions. In 1865 Brookes tried to
popularise his idea throughout Great Britain and with John Hully and
E. Ravenstein founded the National Olympian Association.
Unfortunately, after a few festivals in London, Birmingham and
Wellington the idea of National Olympic Games ceased to exist. W.P.
Brookes, in his pursuit of stressing the importance of sport, advocated
for the introduction of obligatory physical education to elementary
schools - he petitioned the Parliament twice in this matter. He
claimed: "the present system of excessive and exclusive intellectual
training in our national elementary schools is very injurious to the
mental and bodily vigour of the young and will lead to national
physical degeneracy" (Brookes 1890: 114). However, he had to wait
until 1895 when his ideas, partly, were implemented.
The Wenlock Games and the activities of Dr Brookes aroused the
interest of Baron Pierre Coubertin - he was invited to visit the 1890
Games in Much Wenlock. He was surprised not only with the Games
but also with the plans of Dr Brookes to revive the Ancient Olympic
Games - he even expressed his admiration in an article calling Dr
Brookes a person responsible for the revival of this noble idea.
William Penny Brookes died in 1895 but the Games he inaugurated in
Much Wenlock have been continued ever since.
With W.P. Brookes the first step towards a new Olympic
Movement was made. Since then various sport societies began to
flourish, e.g. German Gymnastic Society, Amateur Athletic
Association, International Cyclists Association to name just a few.
Following the creation of the International Olympic Committee in
1894, which had two British members: Lord Ampthill and Charles
Herbert, and the organization of the first Olympic Games of the
modern era in 1896, the British Olympic Association was established
in 1905.
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