Sorbonne Amphitheater

In the heart of Paris, the Sorbonne remains a major place in the history of the modern Olympic movement.

It was here that Pierre de Coubertin launched, on two occasions, the idea that would revolutionize the world of sport.

On November 25, 1892, during the 5th anniversary of the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies, he delivered a visionary speech in the grand amphitheater in which he mentioned for the first time the re-establishment of the Olympic Games, forgotten since Antiquity.

Two years later, from June 16 to 23, 1894, the Sorbonne hosted the 1st International Olympic Congress, bringing together more than 2000 participants, including 79 delegates from around the world.

In his closing speech on June 23, Coubertin solemnly announced that the first modern Olympic Games would take place in Athens in 1896 — thus marking the official birth of the Olympic Movement and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

A historic moment, at once intellectual, sporting and universal, which made the Sorbonne the true cradle of the modern Olympic Games.