Apparently 17-year-old Norwegian Grung Thallang doesn’t think much of the Olympic motto “One is everything”. In the last few meters of the 1.7-kilometer cross-country run, he sprinted with his last strength and literally fell to the finish line after 5:53 minutes. A good time for his young age, much faster than that of an Indian starter, for whom the timer stopped after more than seven minutes and who ended up panting in the arms of two Japanese women. He too deserves applause. International flair prevails here at the foot of Schwaneck Castle in Pullach, over which the Olympic spirit blew for a week. Pierre de Coubertin would have enjoyed the hustle and bustle here and also the motto issued for the 13th edition of the Pierre de Coubertin Schools International Youth Forum: “Olympism encourages youth to strive for international friendship and peace.” Appropriate to the currently tense world situation.
The delegations also served typical dishes from their country.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Delegations from 19 countries and four continents arrived in Pullach on Tuesday to compete in peaceful and fair competitions for a whole week and thus make a contribution to international understanding and world peace, in the spirit of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committees. Corresponding to the five Olympic rings, 60 young people competed in five areas for the Coubertin medal, which was awarded at the end. In addition to sport, this includes the categories of knowledge, art, social commitment and discussions on Olympic values.
The 60 young people at Schwaneck Castle come from 19 countries and four continents
The youth forum had the charm of being almost within sight of the Munich Olympic Tower. Ines Nikolaus, Vice President of the International Coubertin Committee and Head of the International Network of Coubertin Schools for the past 25 years, says that one is very happy to be able to include this international meeting in the numerous events to mark the “50th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Munich”. On Sunday, a trip to Munich is also on the agenda, where Arno Hartung, the longtime head of Olympiapark GmbH, is waiting for the participants in the Olympic Stadium. In the state capital, the 60 young people from all over the world will also meet their peers from a Munich Coubertin school, who have developed a digital city tour.
Each delegation presented their country at a stand.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
“Five, four, three, two, go” – Semir Kamhawi gives the signal for the second cross-country run, while a truck loaded with food turns into the courtyard. “It’s for our dinner,” an Austrian girl explains to a girl of the same age from France. The menu is of course international. Semir Kamhawi teaches sports and geology in Würzburg, and you can tell at first glance that he is inspired by the Olympic spirit: the teacher grew a Coubertin beard, a mustache with expansive ends, especially for the youth forum in Pullach. That’s why he’s already been laughed at by colleagues, he says with a smile.
In terms of sporting comparisons, the 16 to 18-year-old participants can look forward to four other disciplines in addition to cross-country skiing, which of course you no longer see at the Olympic Games: a hurdle race over two times 50 meters, for example, or the stone throw, with Kamhawi throwing the appropriate stone still wanted to find on the Isar. Finally, the ancient long jump, which is characterized by the fact that the athletes line up five jumps in a row, but have to carry one kilogram of weight on each hand, as a so-called flywheel. Correct coordination is important here, explains the sports teacher. A Paralympic discipline is also on the program: bowling in a seated position.
The costume has to fit. Participants at Schwaneck Castle at the multicultural celebration of 50 years of the Olympic Games in Munich.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
The young people also came and still come together in art, music and dance workshops and also in several discussion rounds, for example on Friday, when the contribution of sport to world peace was discussed – a sensitive topic according to Ines Nikolaus, especially for a boy and two girls as well their teacher from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where a Coubertin school was inaugurated in 2018. “You have to hug someone when bad news comes from home,” says Nikolaus.
One of the highlights of the international youth forum was undoubtedly the mini-expo on Thursday evening, where each delegation presented their homeland in national costumes with a stand and traditional dances. It was a colorful and multicultural spectacle. The closing ceremony and the presentation of the art workshops are on Saturday evening, the excursion to Munich on Sunday, and the delegations’ homeward journey on Monday – probably with the Olympic fire in their hearts.