12th International Youth Forum of Coubertin Schools
Olympism at school. It must be encouraged!
To ask different peoples to love one another is mere childishness. To ask them to respect one another is not utopian, but to respect one another they have to know one another. (1)
Mâcon (France) from 24th – 31st August 2019
Team of the French Organising Committee together with the CIPC Delegate for Coubertin Schools (August 2018) on their mission to prepare the excursion for the 12th Youth Forum in Cluny, an important European intellectual centre created in the 10th century.
After 11 successful Youth Forums organised by the Comité International Pierre de Coubertin (CIPC) with more than 1,200 participants, we are happy to announce with satisfaction that our next Forum will return to Coubertin’s homeland and will be hosted by the Comité Départemental Olympique et Sportif 71, Saône et Loire (CDOS 71). The Forum will take place at the Centre Omnisports Mâcon in Burgundy.
We expect delegations of Coubertin Schools and observer teams from 30 countries and five continents.
The CDOS 71, under the guidance of our CIPC member Bernard Ponceblanc, has been one of our most active partners for many years as well as an enthusiastic collaborator within our school network since 2015, successfully spreading and promoting exemplarily the Olympic ideals, formulated by its founder, Pierre de Coubertin. Having been the organisers of the Pierre de Coubertin Pupils’ Prize in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and of many national and international sports competitions and events, the administrators of the CDOS 71 are well-experienced in Olympic education.
The Forum site will be the Centre Omnisports (COM), a huge campus with a boarding house and excellent sports venues for a great number of sports. It is used for training camps and international competitions. There all participants can be hosted under one roof.
The French organising committee, in cooperation with the CIPC Board, has been preparing this event for more than one year and has elaborated an exciting programme for our participants. The most exciting point during one week of activities will be the traditional competitions for the Pierre de Coubertin Award in the following disciplines:
1. Social Performance
2. Olympic Knowledge Test
3. Sporting Performance
4. Cultural Performance
5. Olympic Values.
The participants of our 12th Youth Forum will not only have the chance to visit Coubertin’s native country and to learn more about France and its Olympic traditions on the way to Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but will, above all, create friendship with the young people in Mâcon in Burgundy.